DarthMonk wrote:OldSchool wrote:I hope the Redskins don't draft guys with character and behavior issues especially involving women. One few things the Redskins have done well during the Snyder years is keep a clean roster and I hope SM avoids taking guys with checkered records. You can't expect to build an entire roster of choirboys like Cousins but every guy on the team should come with a record of be a solid citizen in college.Scot McCloughan: Character mattered when picking players
John Keim
ESPN Staff Writer
ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan placed an emphasis on where players came from -- as well as what they did off the field. It formed the foundation of his first draft class with Washington.
He wanted players who were not only good, but also clean off the field. Of the 10 players the Redskins drafted, off-field concerns were not part of their scouting reports.
"The character off the field plays into going from good to great to special," McCloughan said. "Talent’s very, very important. But also the whole package to me is important. That’s what’s going to get the guys to their second contract. That’s what’s going to make us win games in January and February."
They bypassed Nebraska linebacker Randy Gregory. He tested positive for marijuana at the combine and reportedly many teams had other off-field concerns about him. Even though Gregory’s skills would have made him a second-round steal, a source said the Redskins entered the day knowing they would not select him.
"We definitely had many, many discussions about him -- many discussions -- because he is a talented player," McCloughan said. "I don't want to get into the background on him. A lot of it's become public, but that's his stuff. ... Each time we picked, we had a player on the board that fit being a Redskin."
One reason the Redskins drafted Brandon Scherff No. 5 overall was because of that emphasis on character. It mattered, too, that they viewed him as one of the top players on their board, so it wasn’t a reach.
They had considered trading the selection, but McCloughan said the one player teams wanted to trade up for was linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. Once he was gone, the calls from other teams to move up ended.
So they chose Scherff.
"I wanted my first pick to be here, no matter what, somebody that’s not just an impressive player," McCloughan said, "but an impressive person and somebody you can build around. Not only does he come in as a good football player, guys around him will be better because of the way he approaches the game."
I'd be careful with that kind of thought, because it's not consistent with some of his free agency signings like Chris Culliver and Junior Galette.
Or maybe off-field considerations only matter to SM for draft picks....
