Draft History: Redskins picks include key pieces in five Super Bowl appearances
Draft History: Redskins picks include key pieces in five Super Bowl appearances
The NFL Draft began in 1936, and many early picks chose not to play in the NFL, instead of going to other leagues or even other professions. Washington saw many of its early-round picks in the 1930s and ’40s follow this route and never play for the team, thus clouding the waters of potential “worst picks.” In addition, the Redskins had long stretches without a first-round pick (1969-79 and 1984-90). Here is a look at the best and worst draft picks in Washington history.
BEST
10. Roland “Champ” Bailey, CB (Round 1, Pick 7 in 1999) - The future Hall of Famer spent the first five of his 15 seasons in Washington, totaling 18 interceptions and 332 tackles. The four-time Pro Bowler started all 80 games and had a pick in a Redskins victory over the Lions in the 1999 Wild Card round.
9. Ryan Kerrigan, DE/LB (Round 1, Pick 16 in 2011) - The 2011 NFL Draft was loaded with what are now called edge rushers (Von Miller was drafted 2nd, followed by Aldon Smith at 7, J. J. Watt at 11 and Robert Quinn at 14). Kerrigan is a four-time Pro Bowler who started 128 straight games until a concussion and a calf injury cost him four games in 2019. His 90 sacks rank second in team history and include four seasons with 10 or more.
8. Dexter Manley, DE (Round 5, Pick 119 in 1981) - The only player ahead of Kerrigan on Washington’s sack list is Manley, who also had four double-digit seasons and totaled 91 overall in nine seasons playing in the Nation’s Capital. Manley was a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 1986, when he had a career-high 18½ sacks. He played in three Super Bowls with the Redskins, winning twice (XVII over the Dolphins and XXII against the Broncos).
7. Jerry Smith, TE (Round 9, Pick 118 in 1965) - The two-time Pro Bowler and 1969 All-Pro holds the franchise record among tight ends with 5,496 yards and 60 touchdowns. His best season was 1967, when he set career bests with 67 receptions, 849 yards, and 12 scores. Smith had one catch in Super Bowl VII, which the Redskins lost to cement the Dolphins’ perfect season.
6. Charley Taylor, WR (Round 1, Pick 3 in 1964 NFL Draft; Round 2, Pick 9 by the Oilers in the 1964 AFL Draft) - After choosing to sign with Washington, the Hall of Famer starred for 14 seasons. Taylor tops the all-time franchise list with 79 touchdowns and ranks second with 649 receptions and 9,110 yards. The eight-time Pro Bowler had career-highs with 1,119 yards, 12 scores and a league-leading 72 catches in 1966.
5. Russ Grimm, G (Round 3, Pick 69 in 1981) - Another Hall of Famer, Grimm was the fourth guard taken in 1981, and only his teammate Mark May (20th overall) had any sustained NFL success. He was a leading member of Washington’s “Hogs” offensive line, and was a four-time Pro Bowler, a three-time All-Pro and a three-time champion.
4. Art Monk, WR (Round 1, Pick 18 in 1980) - Joining Grimm in the Hall of Fame and on those three Redskins title teams is Monk, who leads the franchise with 888 catches and 12,026 yards and ranks second with 65 touchdowns. He was a three-time Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in 1984 when he set career-highs with 1,372 yards and an NFL-leading 106 receptions. Monk had seven catches for 113 yards in a Super Bowl XXVII win over the Bills.
3. Sammy Baugh, QB/P (Round 1, Pick 6 in 1937) - “Slinging Sammy” was a triple threat during his 16-year career. As a quarterback, Baugh led the Redskins to a pair of titles and led the league in yards four times and touchdowns twice. The Hall of Famer (one of only two from that draft) spent six seasons as a defensive back, amassing 31 interceptions, including a league-leading 11 in 1943. Finally, the six-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro also starred as a punter, leading the league in average five times.
2. Chris Hanburger, LB (Round 18, Pick 245 in 1965) - He was a Hall of Famer who was also a nine-time Pro Bowler, a four-time All-Pro and a participant in Super Bowl VII. Hanburger totaled 19 interceptions and 17 fumbles recovered in 14 seasons in Washington. Not bad for someone who saw 26 linebackers taken ahead of him (only Dick Butkus made the Hall of Fame, and Marty Schottenheimer and Al Atkinson also had noteworthy NFL careers).
1. Darrell Green, CB (Round 1, Pick 28 in 1983) - Green spent 20 seasons with the Redskins, earning the nickname of “Ageless Wonder” for his sustained success. The Hall of Famer tops the franchise list with 1,202 tackles and 54 interceptions, with six returned for touchdowns. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler, a 1991 All-Pro, a two-time Super Bowl champion and the 1996 NFL Man of the Year Award winner.
WORST
10. Ernie Davis, RB (Round 1, Pick 1 in 1962) - Two days after the Bills picked Davis fourth overall in the AFL Draft, the Redskins made the 1961 Heisman Trophy winner the top pick on the NFL side. His spot on this particular list has nothing to do with him as a player, but with Washington’s admittedly racist owner, George Preston Marshall, who refused to sign a black player until threatened by the government to have the D. C. Stadium lease revoked. Marshall let general manager and head coach Bill McPeak make the selection, then traded Davis to the Browns for wide receiver Bobby Mitchell and fellow first-round pick, running back Leroy Jackson. Davis never played in the NFL. While getting ready to play in a College All-Star Game against the Packers that summer, Davis awoke with a swollen neck that was first thought to be mumps or mononucleosis, but turned out to be leukemia. He died on May 18, 1963.
9. (tie) Jim Smith, DB (Round 1, Pick 12 in 1968) and Ray McDonald, RB (Round 1, Pick 13 in 1967) - Smith played all 14 games and returned a fumble for a touchdown as a rookie before a severe neck injury ended his career. He successfully sued the NFL, not because of his injury, but because the draft rules at the time violated antitrust laws. The sides eventually settled in 1979 and the league restructured the rules. McDonald was taken after Hall of Famer Floyd Little and Pro Bowler Mel Farr, and he had 223 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie. Less than two years later, he was out of football. While injuries played a part, the real reason was his 1968 arrest for having sex with a man in public. He died due to complications of AIDS in 1993.
8. Joe Hernandez, WR (Round 2, Pick 15 in 1962) - Washington didn’t have much success with their picks in 1962. While only eight players overall made a Pro Bowl that year, none of them were Redskins selections. Hernandez played one season in between stints with the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Eskimos, where he was a two-time All-Star.
7. Charlie Gogolak, K (Round 1, Pick 6 in 1966) - He was the first kicker selected in the first round in NFL Draft history. Gogolak scored 105 points as a rookie, but only 165 more over his final five seasons with the Redskins and Patriots. Charlie and his brother, Pete, combined for 14 extra points (each also missed one) in a 72-41 Washington win over the Giants on November 27, 1966.
6. Jack Scarbath, QB (Round 1, Pick 3 in 1953) - In another bad year for quarterbacks, Scarbath was the first one selected. Future Colts coach Ted Marchibroda was taken fifth and Bears, Rams and Packers passer Zeke Bratkowski went 17th. Of note, Rudy Bukich, who set the NFL record with six interceptions returned for touchdowns in 1966 (later tied by Peyton Manning in 2001 and passed by Jameis Winston in 2019). Scarbath had three uneventful NFL seasons with the Redskins and Steelers and a year with Ottawa in the CFL before retiring and running an abrasives company.
5. Bobby Wilson, DT (Round 1, Pick 17 in 1991) - He had 4½ sacks and was part of a Washington club that defeated the Bills in Super Bowl XXVI. Wilson played 42 games and had 11 sacks and 141 tackles in four seasons before leaving the NFL. Players still available at this spot included four-time Pro Bowler Ted Washington (25th by the 49ers) and two-time champion and two-time Pro Bowler Leon Lett (173rd by the Cowboys).
4. Patrick Ramsey, QB (Round 1, Pick 32 in 2002) - Taken with the last pick of the first round, Ramsey had a 10-14 record in four years with the Redskins, his only NFL starting experience. He totaled 5,649 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions. He was demoted to Mark Brunell’s backup and was traded to the Jets for a sixth-round pick in 2006. Pro Bowler David Garrard was drafted by the Jaguars in the fourth round.
3. Andre Johnson, T (Round 1, Pick 30 in 1996) - Johnson was drafted as a replacement at tackle for Jim Lachey, but never played for Washington. He was cut loose and signed with Detroit, played three games in 1998 and never appeared in the NFL again.
2. Josh Doctson, WR (Round 1, Pick 22 in 2016) - One of the bigger draft busts in recent history, Doctson only played two games as a rookie due to an Achilles injury and totaled just 1,100 yards in three seasons. He signed with Minnesota as a free agent in 2019, but played only one game because of a hamstring injury before the Vikings released him in late November. NFL stars Michael Thomas (47th pick by the Saints) and Tyreek Hill (165th by the Chiefs), as well as solid starters Sterling Shepard (40th by the Giants) and Tyler Boyd (55th by the Bengals), were still available at this spot.
1. Heath Shuler, QB (Round 1, Pick 3 in 1994) - He came into the NFL highly touted, having been named the 1993 SEC Player of the Year, the MVP of the Hall of Fame Bowl and the Heisman Trophy runner-up (behind Charlie Ward). Shuler began the 1994 season as Washington’s starter, but a 1-7 record, a five-interception game in a Week 4 loss to the Falcons, and waning popularity among fans led to his benching in favor of seventh-round pick, Gus Frerotte. Shuler was traded to the Saints, where he lasted just one season before a foot injury required two surgeries and ended his career. After his playing days, he was a real estate professional in Tennessee and served three terms in the United States House of Representatives from his home state of North Carolina. Frerotte made the Pro Bowl in 1996, but is best known for injuring his neck by butting a padded concrete wall after scoring a touchdown against the Giants. Also taken in this Draft was Trent Dilfer a 1997 Pro Bowler with the Buccaneers who game-managed the Ravens to a win over the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.
Next week: Detroit Lions
-By: Kevin Rakas
Writer