Louisville defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins is part of a vanguard of young, more athletic defensive linemen coming into the league. Being able to move quickly is something to take pride in, he says. (Michael Conroy/Associated Press)

When the Washington Redskins go about filling out their roster in this spring’s NFL draft, defensive fixes figure to rank high on General Manager Scot McCloughan’s list of priorities.

In his first offseason at the helm, McCloughan made a cluster of bargain free agent signings designed to serve as short-term solutions to Washington’s deficiencies along the defensive line.

But Jason Hatcher is aging and mulling retirement. Terrance Knighton is a free agent again after playing on a one-year deal. Stephen Paea is coming off an injury. After a year of minimal pass-rushing contributions from the line and subpar efforts against the run, the Redskins need an infusion of impactful youth.

But needs exist elsewhere on the defense. Three of the four veteran inside linebackers have expiring contracts. Injury and age have weakened the secondary.

Fortunately for the Redskins, this year’s NFL draft class features depth at all of the right positions.

As teams aim to emulate Super Bowl winner Denver, they’re looking for defensive linemen like Malik Jackson. (David J. Phillip/AP)

Talent tends to come in waves in the draft. Some classes feature a wealth of depth at quarterback or wide receiver or tackle. This year’s features a different strength.

“It’s a defensive draft. Best interior defensive line I’ve seen maybe since I’ve started doing this,” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said. “I think the good news is we’re so deep on defense. . . . Defensive tackles and the corners especially. It’s going to be a good year for those groups.”

Mayock also predicted, “What teams might do is say, ‘Because of the depth, I’m going to take a second-round defensive tackle in the fourth round’ or ‘I’m going to take a first-round defensive tackle in the third round’ and meet another pressing need at a position where the depth isn’t as good earlier in the draft.”

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McCloughan always stresses that while priorities do exist, it’s important to draft for talent, not need. That’s how smart general managers assemble strong rosters. However, the Redskins aren’t at a point where they can hone in on one specific area anyway, McCloughan said. So in most cases, any talented prospect he finds in a given round likely will earn a job as a key contributor.

“That’s the one thing right now. Hopefully we get to the point where we can identify certain positions where we feel really strong at, but we need football players. It’s plain and simple,” McCloughan said. “On Sundays, we’re playing, Week 14, we’ve got eight guys on IR. We’ve got 14 that are injured. When you add value players, especially in the draft, now you’ve got something. Now you’re out there, guys are playing, making plays, helping win games.”

McCloughan didn’t want to tip his hand on priorities, but Coach Jay Gruden indicated which way this draft likely will lean.

“There’s a lot of good players on the defensive side of the football, for sure,” he said. “We feel good about where we are and have a chance to really upgrade our defensive football team.”

Washington needs nose tackles and ends for its three-man front. And NFL talent evaluators and draft analysts agree that talent abounds in both area. CBS Sports’s draft analysts have given 28 defensive linemen draft grades worthy of rounds one through three.

ESPN analyst Matt Bowen predicts that teams will be able to land starting-caliber defensive linemen in the first three to four rounds. It’s conceivable that Washington could wind up emerging from April’s draft with both a nose tackle and a defensive end.

“Defensive tackle is loaded. Defensive tackle, defensive end — basically, big physical dudes up front. That’s what you want,” he says. “It’s easier to make an impact as a rookie as a defensive player, so sure, these kids coming out in the first, second, third rounds can start. But there are some really good players at that position. Look at the kid [DeForest] Buckner from Oregon. His measurables today said he had 113/ 4 -inch hands. Those are baseball mitts! Sheldon Rankins, from Louisville, who I saw down at the Senior Bowl, he’s just a beast. There’s so much talent up front.”

This year’s prospects share a common bond in that they represent the continuation of a new breed of defensive linemen. Gone are the big, one-trick space-eaters. These players possess improved athleticism and versatility that enables them to help a team as run-stoppers and pass rushers.

“They’re getting more athletic because in college, you’re seeing more spread, spread, spread. In high school, too — all those seven-on-seven camps,” Bowen explained. “They have to be more athletic because now you’re not just plugging the 2-gap in the 3-4. No, you need to get after the quarterback. You need to chase down the bubble screen.You’ve got to be able to move on your feet.”

Explaining the key to developing that versatility, Rankins said, “I think it’s something that you have to take pride in. One thing that’s big on that is conditioning. . . . When it’s time to go condition, be the first guy up. Win the reps and things like that to make sure that, come fourth quarter, you’re not gassed, you’re not huffing and puffing while these guys are over there trying to march down the field to win the game.”

The need for improved athleticism and youth in the trenches never proved more evident than in the postseason. Washington’s linemen struggled to maintain effectiveness against the Packers once Green Bay switched to an up-tempo attack. And the contrasting example came from Denver, whose defense paved the way for its Super Bowl run, disarming a pair of MVP quarterbacks in Tom Brady and Cam Newton.

“I think everyone who watched the Super Bowl learned that Denver’s defense controlled that game — not just on the outside but [Sylvester] Williams and [Malik] Jackson on the inside,” Bowen said. “And that led to [Danny] Trevathan [the inside linebacker] running to the football, and then you add to that [safeties] T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart coming downhill and hitting you in the mouth. That’s the kind of defense you have to have: Fast, tough, physical, and it starts up front.”