[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by BigHairedAristocrat

I don't think that the lack of a 1st round pick the next two years is as damaging as some people think. I would imagine a disproportionate amount of a teams resources is used evaluating players in the first round. what i mean by that is, teams will scout the hell out of the top of the draft class, since the team will be devoting so much to that player in terms of salary/cap/draft value. However, you only really get a shot at one player with a first round grade. Beyond the first round, teams draft grades vary. Whereas a 1st rounder is pretty much garaunteed to be picked within a range of 5-10 spots, the range that players after that could be picked could vary from team to team by 2-3 ROUNDS. If you've got a pick in the first round, you might like alot of guys, but theres only 5 or so that you can justify taking at that spot. However, in the later rounds, you've really got to make sure that you pick guys at the right spots. You might pass on a guy thinking you can get him with your next pick, but then someone swoops him up.

I guess what i'm getting to with all that rambling is this - not having a 1st round pick frees up our scouting department to spend their time evaulating the non-marquee players to look for "hidden gems." Not having the first round pick will force them pay closer attention to how they grade these players in relation to eachother, making it less like that we wiff on some guys and get a bust. I think we'll really get some really good players out of the 2013 draft. I just wish we didnt have that damn cap penalty so we could do more in free agency.

I think that is a really good point. I hope we make the most of the picks we have, and maneuver forward and backward as picks allow.