On the first day of the NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins dealt for an extra second-round pick for Day Two. But facing a need for more picks, and more players, the Redskins traded three more times during the second and third rounds on April 29 to net them a total of 10 picks in this year’s draft.
The Redskins came into the draft’s second day with the 41st and 49th overall picks. With the 41st pick, Washington selected Clemson defensive end Jarvis Jenkins, a 6-foot, 4-inch, 309-pound player who could take over one of the three defensive line spots in the team’s 3-4 defense.
With Jenkins aboard, it was time to deal once again. Washington swapped the 49th pick with Indianapolis in exchange for the 53th and 152nd picks. The Redskins then parted with pick 53 in exchange for Chicago’s 62nd and 127th pick. Still not done, Washington then sent the 62nd pick to Miami for their 79th, 146th and 217th selections.
After the series of trades, Washington finally settled on University of Miami wide receiver Leonard Hankerson as their 79th pick, a 6-foot, 3-inch, 205-pound physical wideout who could bolster the team’s depth chart at the receiver position.
But the story of the Redskins’ second day at the draft wasn’t the players they acquired, but the picks they built up for the remaining rounds. After years of forfeiting draft picks in deals for aging veterans, the Washington brass returned to the basics of football team building with an emphasis on the draft.
“I was very pleased with today,” Washington coach Mike Shanahan said April 29. “At the beginning of the day we had targeted both of those players and to get both and also get multiple picks was really good.”
The Redskins hold five picks in rounds four and five, which take place April 30.
Washington’s first two picks helped address the need to rebuild their defensive front. With unfilled needs along the offensive line and defensive front, as well as the need for a quarterback, the Redskins’ 2011 draft is far from over.
