Washington should vote for a DT with their first pick

By Connor Byrne  |   Wednesday, April 26, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Washington Redskins
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"With the 53rd pick in the NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins select..."

The Redskins don't necessarily have any life or death holes that need filling on their roster, so a solid defensive tackle up front would make a great choice for them in Round Two this Saturday. The Redskins traded away their first-rounder for this year in a deal last year, so they and their fans are going to be as bored as 50 Cent at a Styx concert for about 10 hours on Day One. However, at about 10 p.m. EDT, Washington will finally have their chance to select, and it should be a DT for VP of Player Personnel Vinny Cerrato, head coach Joe Gibbs and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

In the second round, Washington finds itself in prime position to grab a solid rotational tackle who can eventually become a starter. Currently, they have a combination of Cornelius Griffin and Joe Salave'a, which is solid, but their reserves are a concern. Demetric Evans is a good backup, but the 26-year-old is almost more of a defensive end, the position he's played for all five years of his career. Outside of Evans, the Redskins' other backup tackle is Nic Clemons. If you're wondering who that is, you're not alone. As a rookie last season, Clemons tallied two tackles in eight games played. Although Clemons has some potential, he's hardly the next Kris Jenkins.

When the Washington Redskins do select, there should be two solid tackles available who have garnered a lot of interest this offseason.

The best of the two is certainly Miami's Orien Harris. The 301-pounder had a terrific career with the Hurricanes, and may be a real sleeper on Day One of the draft. Harris, one of Miami's best leaders defensively, has a great deal of run-stuffing ability that stems from good quickness and athleticism. Harris only ran a 5.27 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, so his speed's a concern, but if you don't think he's a better option than Clemons, you're misinformed.

Secondly, there's intriguing LSU prospect Claude Wroten. At 302 pounds, Wroten has boatloads of untapped potential, but his attitude seems to get in the way of his development. Still, if Wroten can get his personal demons behind him, we could be looking at one of the steals of this draft. His pass rushing skills are impeccable and he possesses good 5.09 speed for a large player. Wroten also plays with a great deal of nastiness, which stems from his undying desire to become the best. Without question, those are great traits to have, but it's his past troubles with marijuana that are scaring many teams off. If he didn't have those questions, Wroten might be a first round prospect. Don't be shocked to see the Redskins take a flyer on him with that 53rd overall choice.

Redskins fans, don't expect your team's pick to be anything flashy in the second round, but expect whomever it is to have a lot of promise. If it's Harris or Wroten, Washington may be getting themselves another talented defender to go along with the elite defense they already possess. Undoubtedly, that's music to defensive guru Gregg Williams' ears, because he is known for turning "average" players into Pro Bowlers.

--Connor Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com
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