NFC East champion Washington Redskins showed a decided east coast bias in the 2013 NFL Draft. Three selectees played in the ACC – CB David Amerson (NC State), RB Chris Thompson and OLB Brandon Jenkins (Florida State). Two hail from the SEC – TE Jordan Reed (Florida) and S Bacarri Rambo (Georgia). Rutgers RB Jawan Jamison competed in the old Big East.

Fresno State S Phillip Thomas is the lone outlier.Though he is from California, Thomas says Sean Taylor was his favorite player while growing up and that he has been a Redskins fan ever since. (Has it been that long since Taylor played?)

Coach Mike Shanahan labeled this Draft Class as playmakers. While some fans rejoice that two safeties were picked, they were not selected until the fourth and sixth round. "Need" was not Washington's priority in this Draft. If it were, Shanahan would have selected a right tackle instead of two running backs.  

That's how perennial contenders do it. The Ravens, Giants, Patriots and Steelers of the world draft best player available, even if it drafts into an existing strength. Teams get better and deeper that way. 

Nor do strong teams count on rookies drafted on Day Three to become year one starters. Alfred Morris and Tom Brady are rarities in that regard. Neither does Hog Heaven look for a 2013 starter from this group. The fixes to the Redskins' problems were on the roster before Draft Day. But a couple of these rookies could see significant playing time late in the season.

Here are video highlights of your Washington Redskins round four through seven Draft picks.

Fourth Round, Fresno State safety, Phillip Thomas

Round Five, Florida State running back Chris Thompson

Thompson is the biggest injury risk of all the players Washington selected. He has my respect for making it this far. The Redskins took that gamble on a position where they are already strong and then hedged it by selecting Jawan Jamison later in the Draft.

RB Chris Thompson is undersized (5-foot-7, 192-pounds). Injury history includes a broken back and a season-ending knee injury. #Redskins

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) April 27, 2013

Round Five, Florida State OLB Brandon Jenkins

Round Six, Georgia safety Bacarri Rambo

"Rambo," coolest Redskins player name since Russ Grimm.

Round Seven, Rutgers running back Jawan Jamison 

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North Carolina State defensive back David Amerson
 

It should be clear that the Redskins drafted Amerson for the same reason they re-signed DeAngelo Hall. Amerson is physical and forces turnovers. He fits Washington's defensive scheme. Like Hall, Amerson can be snookered when he jumps a route.

For all you fans who get over-excited by the spectacular, we remind you of the three functions of the secondary.

1. Make stops.
2. Defend the pass.
3. Force turnovers...

in that order of priority.

Jim Haslett likes to bring the heat, sometimes with a safety or other defensive back. In that case, the rest of the secondary has to be very smart in man coverage, or by taking the correct angles in the zone. De Hall is who he is. Amerson may be coachable in that way. Raheem Morris and Hog Heaven hope so.

Hall is under a one-year contract with the Redskins. Amerson looks like a possible replacement if Hall departs in 2014. 

David Amerson is the first true junior the #Redskins have drafted since Mike Shanahan has been head coach.

— Daniel Shiferaw (@dshif) April 27, 2013

One last point about Amerson that could be petty. Any player who wears No. 1 on his jersey loses points with me. College coaches make such promises to lure a prospect to his team. Play like the best and we'll all know you are No. 1. Billboard it on your jersey is too much megotism. That's partly why I'm more excited about...

University of Florida tight end Jordan Reed

Jordan Reed plays with a fluid motion that triggers your imagination. I am sure the coaches Shanahan are calculating creative uses for this versatile receiver. 

Receiving is in his genes. Jordan Reed is the brother of Ravens WR David Reed.

But first, Reed has to develop as an NFL receiver. That's not a sure thing. We are still waiting for Leonard Hankerson to develop as a front line receiver. The Devin Thomas-Malcolm Kelly experience (both second-rounders) still stings.

So here's the question. Can Reed develop as a tight-end receiver faster than Niles Paul develops as a receiving tight end?

On Redskins.com: Notes on David Amerson and Jordan Reed. Go take a look. We'll be here when you get back.

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Picture Redskins tight end Jordan Reed receiving a direct snap from center while in motion. He sizes up Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware who is relieved that Robert Griffin III did not take the snap from the pistol formation. Ware closes in to stop Reed's rush attempt, but Reed wings the ball to Roy Helu who finds a seam between the linebackers and secondary. First down.

Reed has done this sort of thing before. He was a swing player as a read-option quarterback and tight end during his redshirt freshman year in Urban Meyer's Florida offense. Meyer's departure and the  coaching change that followed pushed Reed to full-time tight end for the Gators for the next two seasons.

Reed comes to the Redskins as a receiving tight end who is undersized for a blocker. He could put pressure on Niles Paul whose development at tight end has been slow. His presence probably means that fan favorite Chris Cooley is one step closer to the broadcast booth. Starting tight end Fred Davis is working on a soft probation with a one-year contract.

However, it is Reed's possabilities for the read-option that piques Hog Heaven's interest.

The Shanahans are up to something.

Shanahan says TE Reed was the top rated TE/WR on board, has the speed and versatility to be able to line him up on line or WR. #HTTR

— Redskins (@Redskins) April 27, 2013

With the 85th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft the Washington Redskins select Florida tight end Jordan Reed – more proof that Mike Shanahan is not drafting to need.

A nugget I forgot from before: New #Redskins TE Jordan Reed is the brother of #Ravens WR David Reed.

— Zac Boyer (@ZacBoyer) April 27, 2013

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He's not strictly a safety to fill the shoes of Madieu Williams, but in David Amerson the Redskins picked a player who fits Jim Haslett's schemes. Amerson is physical and can play corner or safety according the scouting report on him from Optimum Scouting. 

"Amerson shows good playing strength on the perimeter. He wins the majority
of his tussles with wide receivers and can definitely bump-N-grind in the air
against the bigger bodied pass catchers. He plays the game in bursts and
rarely reaches a max speed unless in a chase. He doesn't possess the sought
after deep speed in a outside cornerback to keep up with Ferraris like
Baltimore's Torrey Smith or Pittsburgh's Mike Wallace 40-50 yards down the
field, but his ability to read and react to the QB is a true asset in the
defensive secondary and allows for more turnover opportunities.

"He has therange of a free safety, covering ground with fewer steps than most and of
course, has terrific hands for the interception. In my opinion, Amerson has
the finest pair of hands on a college defensive back since UNC's Dre Bly." 

The Redskins selected Amerson with the 51st pick in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Welcome to Washington, Mr. Amerson.

It's draft day 2013, coming just one day after every other team's draft day 2013.  Let's lock in on some names the Redskins may focus on.

LB Arthur Brown

Along with TE Travis Kelce of Cincinnati, the Kansas State product would fill the hole on the roster that has been missing since the team non-tendered Byron Westbrook: obscure brother of a more famous Eagles player.

Brown fits the inside linebacker position of the Redskins perfectly.  Nominally, he'd pay the "middle linebacker" position in this defense, although in a 4-3 system he'd more technically be a weakside LB. He can run with tight ends down the field, attack the quarterback downhill, and is perhaps the best open field tackler in this draft.  Which, at the end of the day, is the kind of thing that every team needs: blocking, and tackling.

LB Manti Te'o

Te'o isn't quite the system fit that Arthur Brown is, but he might have a better chance of being there when the Redskins pick at 51 overall, and he's a better overall football player than Arthur Brown.  Manti Te'o is a very young London Fletcher clone.  He probably lacks Fletcher's overall football intelligence, but certainly isn't lacking his football instincts.  There may be value in the abiity to have Manti wreck people on special teams for a year while London Fletcher pushes his consecutive starts streak as far as he can.

OLB Jamie Collins

Perhaps the most underrated remaining pass rusher on draft boards.  Tank Carridine of FSU has garnered a lot more attention than Collins has, but Collins was a do-it-all defensive end for Southern Miss who would give the Redskins some leverage in Brian Orakpo contract talks.  I know that the Redskins would rather wait until the third round to draft Collins if they could, because he has no obvious role until sub-packages, but players who rush the quarterback well are incredibly valuable regardless of how many edge rushers you already have on your roster.

WR Justin Hunter

Has the profile and makeup to be a major touchdown scorer in the NFL.  Would profile in immediately as Pierre Garcon's backup, and then a year or two down the road, could be a cheaper, more realistic option for a team that is going to have to switch it's salary structure from receiver-dominated to quarterback-dominated.

WR Stedman Bailey

Could help the Redskins win, immediately.  He's not a Garcon-replacement, but if you take a look at the Redskins contract situation at receiver, both Santana Moss and Josh Morgan are scheduled to be free agents next year.  Morgan may be a mid-season extension candidate depending on his performance, but Bailey is the top receiver in this draft to some people (and near the top for me), and could slot in for Josh Morgan very early on in his career.  He would be a great value pick for the Redskins at 51.

Trading down

I'd put heavy odds on the Redskins to trade down from 51.  There are just so many players I like still available that it's too easy to target a player at 51 that can really help.  The Redskins may be able to do more damage about 7-8 picks later, or even trading down into the very top of round three.

... Robert Griffin III.

On this day a year ago the @redskins helped make my dream a reality. #AppreciateEverything

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 25, 2013

Of course, RGIII joined the Redskins last year as the result of Mike Shanahan and Daniel Snyder's bold move to trade up for him. Washington traded its first round 2013 pick to St. Louis. We have a passing curiosity in what the Rams do with that pick, but when Roger Goodell announces their selection every Redskins fan will hear "the Washington Redskins select Robert Griffin III" and feel the chill all over again.

That's all the excuse I need to rebroadcast this 2012 Hog Heaven video taken at FedEx Field when Mike Shanahan selected the savior of Redskins football. (Excuse me while I cheer.) 

The Redskins moved up from their No. 6 pick in 2012 to the Rams No. 2 pick. They packaged their second round pick and the first round picks in 2013 and 2014 in the deal.

The move paid off so well that the 'Skins' first round pick fell in value to the 22nd overall in this year's draft. If Washington improves more, that 2014 first round pick could be even lower, say the 25th overall pick. That would make RGIII even more of a bargain. How is that possible?

Lets do some trade value math here using a standard Draft Value Chart. For purpose of this exercise, we'll discount the point values by 25 percent for a Draft one year away and by 50 percent for a Draft two years away. We'll be optimists and say that Washington's (Rams') first pick in the '14 Draft will be the 25th overall.

In this analysis, the Redskins gave up the equivalent value of the 32nd, or 33rd overall pick in 2013 and today's equivalent of a second round, 53rd overall, pick in 2014.

The actual value of those picks gets real on Draft Day of the year in question. That 22nd pick today is real enough to the Rams.  But, it's not worth as much to the Redskins when exchanged for a legitimate franchise quarterback on the roster. No one the Rams select will be as much a sure thing as Griffin was.

Andrew Luck and Griffin III were once-in-a-lifetime sure things. You would not strike such a bargain for any of the quarterbacks in this year's Draft. The better the Redskins with Griffin perform, the less value those traded away picks are to Washington ... and the more expensive Griffin becomes to the team.

Holy Moly, the Redskins have to start negotiating a contract extension with Griffin after the 2014 Draft. His contract will be in the neighborhood of $150,000,000.00. Don't dare let this kid hit free agency after 2015. How are the Redskins going to do that and keep Alfred Morris, too?

I don't know, but someone on Hog Heaven will tell you.

HAIL!

2013 NFL Draft Schedule

Live at Radio City Music Hall, Manhattan, New York, New York
Thursday, 8:00 PM ET, Round One
Friday, 6:30 PM ET, Rounds Two and Three
Saturday, Noon ET, Rounds Four through Seven

Broadcast, ESPN, NFL Network, Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 88

Redskins Draft Party

The Redskins are holding their annual Draft Party at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland on Saturday, April 27, 2013. It's free, but they do want to know you are coming so they can sell you stuff. If you are a Redskins fan, you don't mind that sort of thing. It's as close as most of us will get to players. I just bet that the second and third round selectees will be there too.

Order your tickets online here.

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Should the Washington Redskins select disgraced LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu in this weekend's NFL Draft? Hog Heaven contributors Scott Hirsch and Anthony Brown are in opposite camps. Youthful Hirsch is all in on the Honey Badger. Old school curmudgeon Brown is aghast at the thought.

Anyone want Dez as their GM? RT @dezbryant: A lot of great players in this draft but @mathieu_era is the best player in the draft.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) April 25, 2013

Not sure I want my team taking draft tips from Dez. RT @rapsheet: RT @dezbryant: @mathieu_era is the best player in the draft.

— Rich Tandler (@Rich_TandlerCSN) April 25, 2013