Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

With the 2010 NFL Draft a month and a half away, mock drafts are plentiful. In fact, there are already 139 mock drafts published for the big day. If you took a minute to scan through a few of those drafts, you probably noticed that there are as many as six or seven players mentioned that might go to your favorite team come April. Obviously, only one (or maybe none) will end up being on the team you root for, but part of what makes the 2010 NFL Draft so interesting is the different possibilities that can change your favorite team’s future.

In this article, we’ll break down the possibilities that lay ahead for the Washington Redskins. With that said, let’s get to it.

Washington Redskins

Similar to the rest of the teams we have looked at in the NFL Draft articles we have posted in the previous month, the Washington Redskins are in desperate need of some big changes. The team has already brought in Mike Shanahan as their Head Coach, and they are now looking to make some serious additions in this off-season, as they look to keep up with the rest of the NFC East.

With the fourth pick overall in the 2010 NFL Draft, the ‘Skins can definitely make a splash by drafting a quarterback in the first round. No offense to Jason Campbell, but he just doesn’t seem the QB to turn this franchise around. Whether it’s Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen, going with a QB on Day 1 would give the Redskins a potential franchise QB for years to come.  If they’re not enamored by either of the top two quarterback options or have extreme faith in Campbell, another route the Redskins could go is the offensive tackle position.

Truth be told, the Redskins could go either way on this one. Fortunately, a franchise player should be available to them at either position come their pick (especially with initial mock drafts showing two defensive tackles assuredly going off the board within the first three picks). Whether the ‘skins go with Clausen/Bradford or Okung/Davis (Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State/Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers), they are setting themselves up nicely for the coming years.

But, the question is who marks the biggest improvement to the Washington Redskins for 2010?

An offensive tackle is typically the surest way to make improvements for fantasy purposes and more importantly, for a team’s win-loss record. You don’t need to go any farther than looking at the Miami Dolphins wand what they did with the first overall pick in 2008 to see what kind of improvements a premier offensive linemen can bring. After finishing up 1-15 in 2007, the Dolphins catapulted to 11-5 in 2008 to win the AFC East after drafting Jake Long, OT, Michigan in the first round. While it’s impossible to know if Okung or Davis can make that significant of an impact, if the Redskins want to be as competitive as possible, that may be the right pick.

Okung is probably more balanced and more experienced (a senior out of a Big 12 school), than Davis is (a junior out of a Big East school). To make things more difficult for the ‘Skins braintrust, Mel Kiper Jr. has Okung ranked ahead of Davis, while Todd McShay ranks Davis ahead of Okung. Needless to say, neither will be a bad pick where the Redskins are at with the 4th overall selection.

With regards to potentially drafting a QB, the only issue that could occur would be if Campbell exceeds expectations and turns in a career year where he leads the ‘Skins to the playoffs. That could leave the Redskins in a predicament in which they have to serviceable QBs on the roster. Not a bad spot to be in, but a predicament nonetheless.

From a fantasy perspective, this is a team that really doesn’t offer much to the 10-12 team league fantasy owner. Campbell is hardly a back-up QB, RB Clinton Portis was a worthy fantasy option until injuries derailed his 2009 season (with that in mind, Portis can definitely excel under Mike Shanahan again as he did in his first two years in the NFL: 3,787 total yards, 31 touchdowns and could prove to be great value in 2010 drafts), and the wide receiving corps leave much to be desired. An offensive lineman can definitely bring the most help to this struggling fantasy entity.

NFC 2010 NFL Draft Coverage:  STL  |  CAR  |  SEA  |  GB |  WAS

AFC 2010 NFL Draft Coverage:  BUF  |  JAC  |  BAL

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