There is a God!

Well, well, well. Looks like they finally got one right. I was a little hasty to say that they haven't gotten one right since Champ Bailey. There have been a few good ones, Sean Taylor in particular. It just seems that the bad outweigh the good when it comes to the Redskins and the NFL Draft. No such misfortune this year, though, as the perfect pick fell all the way to No. 13, and right into the Redskins' lap. Brian Orakpo (DE - Texas) is exactly what the team needs. After signing free agent Albert Haynesworth to a seven-year, $100 million deal it was evident that the Skins were out to shore up their pass rush. With the addition of Orakpo, we can consider that hole plugged.

The guy is a freak of nature. His speed and athleticism are overshadowed only by his strength - Orakpo bench pressed 515 pounds. I've heard whispers that he's not good enough to play DE right away in the NFL. I think that's nonsense, but I have to keep in mind that I do the majority of my scouting from the couch. I do know that he has been deemed versitile enough to play linebacker. Regardless of where he lines up, he has the ability to get in the pocket and raise hell. I personally think they go ahead and put him on the line. Haynesworth should draw plenty of attention, and the pair should thrive off teams that might have an answer to one or the other, but not both.

I'm thoroughly please, as a fan, with the outlook of the team's new defense, but understand that their offense is still God-awful. Hopefully last years crop of receivers has matured enough to at least see the field this season. They went into the draft last year in need of wide receivers. Again, they made an attempt to address that need. They made a good move to move out of the first round and into the second and were still able to land one of the best receivers available in Devin Thomas. They followed by picking up a solid tight end in Fred Davis, but overlooked DeSean Jackson in favor of another touted WR in Malcom Kelly whom they selected No. 51 - two spots after Jackson was nabbed by Philadelphia. That Redskins' trio really shook things up, combining to amass 21 catches for a jaw-dropping 165 yards. All Jackson did was catch 62 balls for 912 yards and two touchdowns. To be fair, it's not like any of the three got much of a shot, which I'm hoping would suggest that increasing their roles this season will be a focal point in training camp.

Regardless, the Redskins were headed into 2009 with two questions - pass protection and pass rush. You can scratch the rush. If these guys can't get to the quarterback now, then there is no hope.

With the rest of their picks, it is imperative that the Redskins shop for offensive line help. Not only is their line suspect, it's old. So for now I'll just try to keep in mind that they can't fix everything at one time. And it's been a long time since the first round of the draft left me just plain feeling good. So I'll take it.