Taylor-made
By Jody Foldesy
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Days of plotting fallback scenarios ultimately proved unnecessary for the Washington Redskins. When the intrigue of the NFL Draft's first four picks ended yesterday and the club's selection at No. 5 came, the Redskins not only had their first option available but their second, too.
Pulling a mild surprise in coach Joe Gibbs' first draft back from retirement, the Redskins chose a defense-changing safety, the University of Miami's Sean Taylor, over a dangerous tight end, Taylor's talented Hurricanes teammate Kellen Winslow II.
The choice between the two was so close that club officials didn't make final the top of their draft board until Friday night. But they ultimately were convinced of Taylor's superiority, to the point that they had a Redskins jersey made for him and waiting at Redskin Park yesterday. And when the New York Giants' pick at No. 4 passed — despite the Cleveland Browns' attempt to nab Taylor there — Washington had its man.
"Certainly we think Kellen Winslow's a terrific player," Gibbs said. "He was obviously a strong consideration for us. We talked about it, and every last detail was minutely studied. We thought in the end our choice really needed to be Sean. We felt like he could be the guy to help our football team the most."
Although Washington did not have another pick scheduled until this afternoon, the Redskins made a trade last night to obtain Utah State tight end Chrisey with the New Orleans Saints' third-round pick, 81st overall.
To obtain
Taylor gives Gregg Williams, Washington's first-year assistant head coach for defense, what could be a crucial tool on a revamped unit. Besides allowing veteran Matt Bowen to move to his more natural strong safety spot, Taylor's combination of a 6-foot-3, 231-pound frame and rare athleticism permit Williams significant leeway with his schemes.
"I can't wait to get started," Taylor said. "It's unbelievable, really."
Not since the Oakland Raiders selected Eric Turner second overall in 1991 has a safety gone so high in the draft. In the salary cap era, clubs have shied from selecting safeties with the highest picks, the contracts of that portion of the draft being too pricey for such a low-priority position.
"We felt he was worth the pick," Williams said.
The choice of Taylor came despite speculation that H-back (Winslow's position in Gibbs' offense) was more of a need than safety and in spite of Winslow's belief that Gibbs had told him he would be selected No. 5. Gibbs said Winslow's selection of controversial agents Kevin and Carl Poston didn't play a role, though not all Redskins officials were so sure.
Gibbs suggested that at least one other player was in the mix, perhaps Iowa tackle Robert Gallery (who went No. 2 to the Oakland Raiders). But sources familiar with the Redskins' draft preparations said in recent days that the team was focused on Taylor and Winslow. As for the predraft rumor that Washington would trade up (ostensibly for Gallery), Gibbs said, "I don't think we ever considered that."
Still, trades were discussed extensively. Club officials shuffled through myriad mock drafts in recent days, trying to determine what they might do depending on how the first four picks fell. And the Redskins fielded calls from a number of teams while they were on the clock yesterday, but Gibbs said none of the trade-backs was enticing enough to merit a concrete offer.
"It came down to the fact that Sean really fits in with us," Gibbs said. "His athletic ability — the fact that he can cover the field back there — really gives you freedom up front."
Selecting Taylor wasn't certain until the Giants picked quarterback Philip Rivers at No. 4, setting up a trade with the San Diego Chargers for quarterback Eli Manning, the No. 1 pick.
Before that selection, the Redskins had to sweat out the Browns' attempt to move into the No. 4 spot and swipe Taylor. The ESPN broadcast even showed Taylor talking on his cell phone while the Giants were on the clock. That conversation was with the Browns, who ended up trading to the Detroit Lions' No. 6 pick to grab Winslow.
"We were nervous there," Gibbs later admitted.
But Washington probably couldn't have gone wrong with either Hurricane. Taylor and Winslow topped what turned out to be the best draft class ever by one school. Miami had six players selected in yesterday's first round, besting the previous mark of five, a record the school shared, and capping an astonishing run of 19 first-round picks in the past four years.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/sports/2 ... -5960r.htm