KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 4: Dante Fowler Jr. #6 of the Florida Gators gestures toward fans in the closing seconds of the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 4, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida defeated Tennessee 10-9. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) Dante Fowler Jr. #6 of the Florida Gators gestures toward fans in the closing seconds of the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 4, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida defeated Tennessee 10-9. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — The 2015 NFL Draft begins April 30th. This year the Redskins find themselves in a situation only slightly less common than Halley’s Comet — they have picks in each round of the draft. The Redskins have selected a player in each of the first five rounds of the draft only four times since 1990 (2011, 1997, 1995, and 1993). The quality of their picks over that period of time is a topic for another day.

With a new GM at the helm, and a few very respectable free agent pick-ups this offseason, this year’s draft will be the most meaningful one for the Redskins since staking three years’ worth of picks on RG3. With any luck, we’ll move on from Robert after this season and the young men we select in a few weeks will become the building blocks this franchise needs to become respectable again.

With that in mind, I locked myself in the film room (bathroom) and began poring through game tapes (videos on an iPad). I wanted to be as prepared for this year’s draft as Scot McCloughan will be. Undeniably I lack Scot’s genius, but I put the screws to myself by signing up for a mock draft with some other bloggers, attorneys, fishermen, and a hodgepodge of fellow #showerbeer-swilling degenerates over at SB Nation. The ridicule of my peers would be the repercussion for poor draft selections.

No one cares what a blogger thinks so I strove to approach this draft just as Scot McC would. I researched McCloughan’s drafts in the past (thanks, John Keim) and noticed a few key points: 1) He doesn’t trade away picks; 2) He targets offensive linemen early in the draft and ignores them later; 3) He loves drafting defensive backs; 4) When in doubt, defense wins; 5) His preference for size is also well-documented.

Another interesting note, which hasn’t been pointed out by any of the draft “experts” — McCloughan doesn’t tend to draft guys who fit his coaches’ systems — he drafts the best players available to address a need. I believe this will come to fruition on draft day. In other words, you’re free to golf that weekend, coach Gruden.

Two other points I considered pre-draft: The Skins have needs all over the place but I prioritized them as follows: OLB, O-Line, Safety, and RB.

Also, in case you missed it, the Skins have made some prudent free agent moves since Scot McCloghan took the helm. Those additions include: Dashon Goldson (FS), Jeron Johnson (SS), Chris Culliver (CB), Terrance “Pot Roast” Knighton (DT), Stephen Paea (DT), Ricky Jean-Francois (DE).

Notice a theme? That’s six potential new starters on defense — and not one of them overpaid. Is this real life? Clearly our O-line needs significant upgrades, but it has been one of Scot’s calling cards to prioritize the defense wherever he is — I can’t complain with continuing that strategy. RG3 could find a way to get sacked while alone in a bathroom stall so why waste this year building an offensive line for him to disregard as he high steps out of the pocket? Only one more season and the nightmare will be through — pay no attention to the man behind the curtain in the owner’s box.

Alas, the selections:

Round 1 – Pick #5: Dante Fowler, Jr., OLB, Florida. Sorry, I’m not a Mariota guy, but I hope someone is. I tried desperately to move back in the draft from the 5th position, but I couldn’t find a team to take the bait. Nothing would make me happier than seeing the Skins trade back their first round pick to give our new GM more bullets in the chamber. If I could have moved back later in the first round I would have considered Brandon Scherff (OT/OG, Iowa) or Landon Collins (SS, Alabama), but either of those two would be a reach with the 5th pick. Instead I decided to find Ryan Kerrigan a worthy companion to terrorize quarterbacks and seal the line against the run. Although I like Vic Beasley slightly more than Fowler as a pure pass-rusher, he went #3 in this draft and the drop off between the two is debatable at best.

Round 2 – Pick #38: Byron Jones, CB, UConn. He has the size, speed, and vision to step on the field and contribute immediately. A season of developing a rapport with Breeland and learning the ropes from D. Hall and we could have our cornerback situation resolved by 2016. This was the easiest pick of the entire draft. I can only hope Jones is still available for the Skins at #38 in a few weeks. He will be a steal for any team who selects him beyond the first 20 picks.

Round 3 – Pick #69: TRADE – Finally found a suitor to move back. The faux-Skins traded picks #69 and #222 to Philly for picks #84 and #145.

Round 3 – Pick #84: Ali Marpet, OG, Hogwarts, I mean Hobart. No pick generated as much buzz as this one. Marpet might be considered a risky pick because he played football at a DIII school and some believe he has not been sufficiently tested, but his size, skill, and performance at the Senior Bowl have him flying up draft boards. Two other GMs reached out to me after this pick and offered me trades for Marpet. The Skins desperately need to build their O-line and even if Marpet isn’t ready to contribute immediately, he should develop into the type of player you can count on for a decade. This generation deserves its Jon Jansen, and Trent Williams deserves a man to his right whom he can count on.

Round 4 – Pick #105: Kwon Alexander, OLB, LSU. This is the kind of pick the Ravens make and everyone says to themselves, “Damn you, Ozzie. That guy is going to be a Pro Bowler.” Any pick after the third round of the NFL draft is purely speculative. Sure, you can hit a home run but you are much more likely to swing and miss. With Kwon Alexander, I see an immediate Special Teams contributor who could develop into a starter on defense in time. The Skins have lacked speed at the linebacker position for years. Screens and dump downs go for huge yardage at an alarming rate against this team. They have probably cost you a remote control or two on 3rd and 15 conversions. Speed at linebacker — and some fundamental tackling skills — are a good way to curtail those failures.

Round 5 – Pick #141: Jeremy Langford, RB, Michigan State. I honestly don’t know how Langford fell this far. Perhaps I missed something. I had my eye on a short list of pass-catching backs who could fill the Roy Helu Jr.-sized hole in our backfield, but Langford was still on the board and projects far above the likes of the Karlos Williams and Matt Joneses of the world. I’d love to see Silas Redd hold onto the football and develop into a 3rd down back but that’s far from a guarantee. Michigan State has a pretty solid reputation for churning out NFL-ready RBs. I might die from shock if the Skins spend anything above a 4th round pick on a running back this year.

Round 5 – Pick #145: Anthony Harris, FS, UVA. I took a flier on a safety who thumps a little less than I would prefer, but Harris has shown a nose for finding the ball and not blowing coverage — skills sorely lacking in 2014’s horrendous Skins secondary. Harris is not a great tackler, but he wouldn’t be available in the 5th round if he was. Perhaps this pick would have been better spent on bolstering the offensive line, but I like Harris’ instincts and I think he could be playmaker at the next level. Getting Harris in the gym wouldn’t hurt — he’s essentially the anti-Laron Landry.

Round 6 – Pick #182: Rob Crisp, OT, NC State. “It’s a big man’s game.” You are damn right it is, Mr. McCloughan. Why not go with a giant on our last pick of the draft? Injuries have destroyed Rob Crisp’s projection in the draft but I am more than willing to take a flier on him and a few other freakish athletes this late in the draft. At worst, he doesn’t make the team. At best, he’s a 6’ 7” 300+lbs. hammer with arms long enough to hoist the Lombardi trophy so high it gets a nosebleed.

Post-draft thoughts: I am almost terrified to admit that I feel good about the Redskins offseason moves for the first time in the past decade. Reviewing our transactions, we almost resemble a real NFL franchise. In November of last year I suggested a five-point plan to fix the Redskins — thus far the team has checked off 3 of those points and they look poised to check off the fourth in a few weeks.

As McCloughan once said, “The draft is the lifeline of your organization.” For the first time in recent memory, this franchise’s fate seems to be in competent hands. I’m excited about the draft for the first time in forever and you should be too. That’s not to say Dan Snyder won’t ruin all of this in two weeks but perhaps he is finally learning that tyranny has its limits.

Draft well, Scot, and if you see Mr. Snyder’s name on your incoming calls April 30th please click the red button.

Follow Patrick on Twitter @RubGun and e-mail your questions and topic suggestions to cannon1067@gmail.com.