Why redskins draft cousins

Yet, Cousins was selected in the fourth, hardly making him a buy-low commodity. A better example of a buy-low player is Matt Flynn. Flynn was drafted in the seventh round in with the intention of being sat behind Aaron Rodgers and learning the offense. After four long years, Flynn got his shot at the end of the season and lit the world on fire against the Detroit Lions.

Now, Green Bay was unable to trade Flynn because they mishandled his contract and were forced to watch him walk to Seattle. However, the Packers had followed the model and developed a cheap prospect into a worthwhile asset. If the Redskins intended to sell high on Cousins, they would have selected him in the later rounds of the draft. The only way to sell high at this point would be to develop Cousins into an asset worthy of third-round pick or higher.

But in order to increase Cousins' value, he will need real-time production, and a man named RG3 stands in his way. Developing a prospect into a quarterback teams are willing to trade for takes several years, and Shanahan does not have that time.

If we look at any of the recent quarterbacks who have been traded for or coveted in free agency, they all have one thing in common: proven potential. Kevin Kolb and Matt Flynn both flashed greatness for their teams and were rewarded in the offseason by other teams.

However, getting to that point took a minimum of four years, as each player learned the offense and waited for an opportunity. Shanahan has two years left on his contract and a renewal will likely be decided by RG3's success. Against the Browns, Cousins had impressive stats completing of passes for yards and two touchdowns.

His The 'Skins outscored the Browns in the second half en route to their sixth straight win. Two-thirds of the teams offensive plays were passing situations. Regardless of the answer to the question "why was Cousins selected," the answer is no longer important. At this moment the team is in a situation where they have a highly regarded quarterback ready and able to step in and allow Griffin to focus on his offseason recovery. That, in and of itself, makes a contingency plan seem like another insightful and strategical draft pick selection, almost as impressive as their sixth-round choice in running back Alfred Morris.

Whoever the Redskins are consulting as a psychic or whatever tea leaves they're reading, in hindsight, the 'Skins have come out on top. The Redkins are also expected to get a compensatory fifth-round selection for Trent Murphy, who signed with the Bills last offseason , and a sixth-round pick for Ryan Grant, who signed with the Indianapolis Colts.

Washington likely would have gotten another compensatory pick for Bashaud Breeland, who signed with the Carolina Panthers last year in free agency before the deal was voided due to an undisclosed injury on Breeland's foot. Earlier in the year, it looked like the Redskins might get four picks awarded via the NFL's compensatory formula, which includes free agent contracts signed as well as season-long performance.