The Redskins made their draft intentions abundantly clear by orchestrating a bold trade with St. Louis back in March, shipping their first (No. 6 overall) and second-round (No. 39) selections plus two future first-rounders to the Rams to secure the No. 2 overall pick and place themselves in position to land one of this year's prized quarterback prospects, either Baylor playmaker Robert Griffin III or Stanford's Andrew Luck. With Luck expected to go to Indianapolis with the top choice, Griffin stands as the most likely candidate to end Washington's longstanding quest for a top-flight signal-caller, and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner's arm strength and elite athleticism make him a natural fit for Mike Shanahan's offense. Shanahan and general manager Bruce Allen will allocate the rest of the draft towards replenishing depth and filling less crying needs, with an eventual successor to soon-to-be 37-year-old inside linebacker London Fletcher and competition for injury-prone right offensive tackle Jamaal Brown near the top of the list. Washington does have an extra fourth-round pick as compensation for the 2010 trade of quarterback Jason Campbell to Oakland.
2011 Record: 5-11
Top Needs: QB, ILB, OL
First Three Picks: No. 2, No. 69, No. 102
Number of Selections: 7 (1, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 7)
RECENT FIRST ROUND HISTORY: 2011 - Ryan Kerrigan (OLB, Purdue); 2010 - Trent Williams (OT, Oklahoma; 2009 - Brian Orakpo (DE, Texas); 2008 - none; 2007 - LaRon Landry (S, LSU); 2006 - none; 2005 - Carlos Rogers (CB, Auburn), Jason Campbell (QB, Auburn); 2004 - Sean Taylor (S, Miami-Florida); 2003 - none.
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