I should have seen it coming

photo courtesy of ap!

I should have seen it coming. I should have known who the Redskins were picking.

Pre-draft talk about So. Cal. quarterback Mark Sanchez dominated the airwaves. Most people figured the Redskins were trying desperately to trade up and pick the smooth QB. Huge smokescreen! Well, maybe. Who knows.

Then the choosing time came around, and nothing happened. Everything happened as it should have. I found myself hoping the Rams would pick Sanchez, just to get it over with. But no. OT Jason Smith off the board.

The Chiefs up next. Would they trade down? Nope. DE Tyson Jackson to KC. Seattle goes with Curry.

And then finally Cleveland trades down, the J-E-T-S move up and take Sanchez. Brett Favre for one year and then Sanchez time. Good move for them, no doubt.

Better move for the Redskins by not trading up. I told you all last week that trading up would be a bad idea. I still believe that.

But the Redskins stayed put and chose Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo with their first draft pick.

If you haven't see anything on Orakpo, check out some highlights:



I should have seen it coming. Maybe. Think about it. Who was the last free agent the Redskins signed? I'll let you think about it.

The team signed offensive lineman Mike Williams just a day before the draft. Still don't get it? Where did Mike Williams play college football? Texas. ... Orakpo is from Texas! Boom!

So, yeah. I should have seen it coming.

Combining with new Redskin Albert Haynesworth should help Orakpo. And the addition of both of these guys should help defensive end Andre Carter. One thing is for sure, it's pretty obvious that the team's front office recognized that the opposing quarterbacks had FOR-EV-ER to throw the ball.

Other picks

One thing I noticed about four of the Redskins' six draft picks: injury problems. As good as Orakpo is, he's had a few knee sprain problems in his college career. As for the other picks, we now have a guy who has a broken shoulder, another who has knee problems, etc. It'll be interesting to see whether these injuries hamper the rookies. Anyway, onto the picks.

• In the third round, the Skins picked Maryland CB Kevin Barnes. A YouTube star:

Seems decent. Broke his shoulder blade last year that required surgery. Not sure that I think he's better than Macho Harris, who went to Philly later in the draft. Very sad about that. But scouts think Barnes is worthy of the pick.

• In the fifth round, the Skins picked Nebraska linebacker Cody Glenn. He started his career as a running back. He's another guy with injury issues. Missed a lot of time in college with various injuries. In all, I suppose I'm pretty "Meh" about this pick. Maybe he's good at special teams.

• In the sixth round, the team picked TCU inside backer Robert Henson, who seems very average. Ran a slow 40-yard dash time. Here is a highlight video. He was a four-year starter though.

• With the first seventh-round pick, the team picked Idaho tight end/fullback Eddie Williams. Williams is yet another guy with big injury problems. Not sure what it means for current Redskins fullback Mike Sellers. According to Williams' agent, he think he'll be playing fullback.

• With the team's second seventh-round and final pick, the Redskins drafted Nevado receiver Marko Mitchell. Dude is big and tall, but his speed isn't great. Seems slow, but that's just his running style. Looks like a solid pick, which is rare when the Redskins draft (sad to say). Here is a highlight reel.

Overall, if Orakpo works out, then this draft will be a success. I think WR Mitchell is a good pick. I'm not sure about the rest of the picks. Just not sure we'll get anything out of them. Too many injury problems.

I'll give it a C.

Who I would have picked
The team had six draft picks. Only picked one I really agree with. Here are the selections I would have made.

First round
Brian Orakpo. I got nothing against this selection. Good pick. I hope he works out.

Second round
No pick. Traded to Miami for the rights to Jason Taylor. Who lasted one year before getting released. Good job Redskins.

Third round
Victory "Macho" Harris, CB, Virginia Tech. I don't care if he fell all the way down to the fifth round. He's a great corner. He fell because he ran a slow time at the NFL Combine, but the guy can play. Not saying that Kevin Barnes, whom the Redskins drafted, isn't great. Just got a great feeling about Macho. Too bad whatever happens will be with the Eagles.

Fourth round
No pick. Traded for Pete Kendall, whom the Redskins released after last season. Another good job Redskins from me.

Fifth round
Duke Robinson, OG, Oklahoma. The best guard in the entire draft fell all the way to the fifth round. Apparently he has "slow feet." The Redskins need offensive lineman, especially inside guys. But the team did not draft an offensive lineman. Not a one. I would have changed that one. Robinson is absolutely huge. Carolina nabbed him just after the Redskins picked.

Sixth round
Aaron Kelly, WR, Clemson. Kelly was on his way to being a first-day draft pick last year. But Clemson had a horrible year offensively and Kelly dropped like a rock.

Seventh round
Willie Williams, LB, Union College. This guy has had way too many problems. But he's a solid prospect. Seriously, he was the No. 1 high school prospect at one point, and then he bombed out of Miami, and he bombed out of like 3 other schools, including Louisville. Green Bay signed him to an free-agent contract, so we'll see how that works out. Head problems with this one, but sometimes you have to take a chance.