Redskins press release: 2012 draft

The Washington Redskins finalized its 2012 NFL Draft class on Saturday, selecting nine players, highlighted by No. 2 overall pick quarterback Robert Griffin III. The team’s 2012 draft class is as follows:

ROUND (PICK)                                PLAYER                              SCHOOL

• 1 (2)                                       QB Robert Griffin III             Baylor
• 3 (71)                                     G Josh LeRibeus                  SMU
• 4 (102)                                    QB Kirk Cousins                  Michigan State
• 4 (119)                                    LB Keenan Robinson            Texas
• 5 (141)                                    G Adam Gettis                     Iowa
• 6 (173)                                    RB Alfred Morris                   Florida Atlantic
• 6 (193)                                    OT Tom Compton                 South Dakota
• 7 (213)                                    CB Richard Crawford             SMU
• 7 (217)                                    S Jordan Bernstine               Iowa                                                   

 

NOTES ON REDSKINS OVERALL DRAFT

• With nine selections, the Redskins made more than seven picks for the fifth time since the institution of the seven round draft in 1994. This is the first time in that frame in which the Redskins picked more than seven in consecutive years (12 – 2011 NFL Draft). 

• The Redskins selected two sets of college teammates in the 2012 NFL Draft (CB Richard Crawford and G Josh LeRibeus from SMU, G Adam Gettis and S Jordan Bernstine from Iowa). The last time the Redskins took two sets of college teammates was in 1992, when the team drafted WR Desmond Howard and C Matt Elliott from Michigan and G Paul Siever and WR Terry Smith from Penn State.

• The last time the Redskins selected a set of college teammates in consecutive years was in the 1992 and 1993 NFL Drafts. In addition to the 1992 players listed above the Redskins selected DB Tom Carter and RB Reggie Brooks from Notre Dame in 1993. Last year, the Redskins selected RB Roy Helu, S DeJon Gomes and WR Niles Paul, all from Nebraska.

• The Redskins selected four players who played collegiately in the state of Texas for the first time since the institution of the seven round draft in 1994. The four players selected by the Redskins who played in the state of Texas are the most the team has taken from any state since 1985.

• The last time the Redskins drafted three players from the Big 10 Conference was in 1988 when they selected Minnesota kicker Chip Lohmiller (second round), Michigan running back Jamie Morris (fourth round) and Ohio State tackle Henry Brown (10th round).

NOTES ON ROBERT GRIFFIN III SELECTION:

• Griffin III is the fourth player selected by the Redskins with the No. 2 overall pick, joining Riley Smith (1936), Norm Snead (1961) and LaVar Arrington (2000).

• Griffin III is the fourth Heisman Trophy winner to be selected by the Redskins in the NFL Draft and the first since the Redskins selected WR Desmond Howard (No. 4 overall) in the first round of the 1992 NFL Draft. 

• Griffin III is the first Heisman-winning quarterback selected by the Redskins. In addition to Griffin III and Howard, the Redskins’ other two Heisman-winning draft picks were running backs (Vic Janowicz, 1952; Ernie Davis, 1962).

• Griffin III is the second Heisman Trophy winner drafted by a Mike Shanahan-coached team. Shanahan was head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders in 1988 when the Raiders selected Heisman WR Tim Brown out of Notre Dame. 

• Griffin III is the 52^nd of 76 Heisman Trophy winners (including vacated awards) to have been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.

• The Redskins are the sixth NFL franchise to have drafted at least four Heisman Trophy winners. With Griffin III’s selection, the Redskins join the Lions (10), Rams (8), Saints (5), Bears (4) and Raiders (4).

• Griffin III is the ninth Baylor player selected by the Redskins all-time. Below are all of the Baylor players selected by the Redskins:

YEAR              ROUND (PICK)                    PLAYER                                

• 1951                14 (160)                                  QB Adrian Burk
• 1952                1 (7)                                        B Larry Isbell
• 1954                17 (200)                                  B Jerry Coody
• 1970                17 (433)                                  DT Earl Maxfield
• 1976                5 (148)                                    G Mike Hughes
• 1983                10 (279)                                  LB Geff Gandy
• 1987                7 (192)                                    DB Johnny Thomas
• 1991                9 (243)                                    DB Charles Bell
• 2012                1 (2)                                        QB Robert Griffin III

 

• Griffin III is the first rookie quarterback from Baylor to be drafted by the Redskins. The Redskins previously selected QB Adrian Burk in the 1951 NFL Draft, but Burk was eligible for selection after having played one season for the original Baltimore Colts, a team that folded following the 1950 season and had all of its players placed in the 1951 NFL Draft.

• Baylor is now the 14^th school to have at least six players selected by the Redskins in the Common Draft era (since 1967), joining Nebraska (11), Penn State (11), Colorado (9), Tennessee (9), Miami (8), Michigan (7), Notre Dame (7), San Diego State (7), Texas (7), UCLA (7), USC (7), Maryland (6) and UTEP (6).

• Griffin III is the ninth first-round pick from Baylor in the Common Draft era (excluding supplemental draft selections) and the first Baylor quarterback to be selected in the first round in the Common Draft era. Later in the round, WR Kendall Wright became the 10^th first-round pick from Baylor in that time frame.

• Griffin III is the fourth Baylor player selected in the first round of the last four NFL Drafts, joining T Jason Smith (No. 2 overall, 2009), DT Phil Taylor (No. 21 overall, 2011) and OL Danny Watkins (No. 23 overall, 2011). Including Kendall Wright’s selection, the five first-rounders are the most the school has ever had in a four-year period.

• Griffin III is the first Baylor player selected by a Shanahan-coached team and the first Big 12 quarterback selected by a Shanahan-coached organization.

• Griffin III is the 24^th quarterback selected by the Redskins in the Common Draft era and the first quarterback selected since the team drafted Colt Brennan (sixth round, No. 186 overall in 2008).

• Griffin III is the 17^th player selected by the Redskins to have played collegiately in the Big 12 Conference.

• Griffin III is only the second Big 12 quarterback selected by the Redskins, joining Iowa State’s Sage Rosenfels (fourth round, No. 109 overall in 2001).

• Griffin III is the Redskins’ third first-round pick to have played in the Big 12 Conference, joining current Redskins Brian Orakpo (No. 13 overall in 2009) and Trent Williams (No. 4 overall in 2010). 

• Griffin III (Copperas Cove H.S., Copperas Cove, Texas) is the third player drafted by the Redskins in the first round in the last four drafts to have played his high school football in Texas, joining first-rounders Orakpo (Lamar H.S., Houston) and Williams (Longview H.S., Longview, Texas).

• Griffin III is the second quarterback drafted by the Redskins in the first round to have played collegiately in the state of Texas, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh (TCU), who was drafted by the Redskins in 1937 prior to the team’s first season in Washington.

• Griffin III is the ninth quarterback selected by a Shanahan-coached team, joining David Weber (Round 11, 1988), Jeff Francis (Round 6, 1989), Jeff Lewis (Round 4, 1996), Brian Griese (Round 3, 1998), Jarious Jackson (Round 7, 2000), Matt Mauck (Round 7, 2004), Bradlee Van Pelt (Round 7, 2004) and Jay Cutler (Round 1, 2006).

• Griffin III, born in Okinawa, Japan, is the first internationally-born player selected by the Redskins in the first round since the team selected K Charlie Gogolak (Rapahidveg, Hungary) with the sixth overall pick of the 1966 NFL Draft.

• The 2012 NFL Draft marks the fifth time in the Common Draft era that quarterbacks have been selected with each of the top two picks. Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III are the first pair of quarterbacks selected No. 1 and No. 2 in the same year since 1999.

NOTES ON JOSH LERIBEUS SELECTION:

• LeRibeus is the fourth pick selected all-time by the Redskins at No.71 overall, joining end Art Porter (1945), guard Gene Pepper (1950) and linebacker Rick Hamilton (1993).

• LeRibeus’ selection is the highest the team has selected a guard since selecting Tré Johnson with the No. 31 overall pick in 1994. Before Johnson’s selection, the last time the Redskins had taken a guard that high was in 1981, when the Redskins drafted future Pro Football Hall of Famer Russ Grimm with the No. 69 overall pick.

• Including the Redskins’ selection of QB Robert Griffin III with the No. 2 overall pick, 2012 marks the first time the Redskins have selected a quarterback and an offensive lineman with the first two picks since selecting QB Heath Shuler and Johnson with the team’s first two selections of the 1994 NFL Draft.

• Including receiver Aldrick Robinson’s selection in 2011, LeRibeus’ selection marks the first time the Redskins have drafted SMU products in consecutive years. However, prior to 2012, the Redskins had picked two SMU players in a single draft on two occasions (1945 and 1952).

• LeRibeus became the second SMU player drafted by a team coached by Mike Shanahan, joining Robinson (2011).

• LeRibeus is the highest-drafted SMU player by any NFL team since the Detroit Lions selected DT Jerry Ball with the No. 63 overall pick of the 1987 draft.

• LeRibeus became the fifth Conference USA player selected by a Shanahan-coached team, joining WR Chad Plummer (1999 NFL Draft, University of Cincinnati), WR Adrian Madise (2003, TCU), WR Brandon Marshall (2006, Central Florida) and Robinson.

NOTES ON KIRK COUSINS SELECTION:

• Cousins is the 25th quarterback selected by the Redskins in the Common Draft era.

• With the selection of Cousins and first-round pick Robert Griffin III, the Redskins selected two quarterbacks in the same draft for the first time since 1994 (Heath Shuler and Gus Frerotte). 

• 2012 marks the first time the Redskins have selected two quarterbacks in the first four rounds in the Common Draft era. The last time a team selected two college quarterbacks in the first four rounds was in 2006 when the New York Jets selected Oregon’s Kellen Clemens (Round 2, No. 49 overall) and Missouri’s Brad Smith (Round 4, No. 103), though Smith was projected as a wide receiver. 

• The last time a team selected two players projected as quarterbacks in the NFL in the first four rounds was 1989, when the Green Bay Packers selected Duke’s Anthony Dilweg (Round 3, No. 74) and Long Beach State’s Jeff Graham (Round 4, No. 87).

• Cousins is the first Michigan State player selected by the Redskins since WR Devin Thomas (No. 34 overall) in 2008.

• Cousins is the 16^th player from Michigan State selected by the Redskins all-time and the third selected by the Redskins in the Common Draft era, joining Thomas and DT Bobby Wilson (No. 17 overall in 1991).

• Cousins is the 10^th quarterback selected by a Shanahan-coached team, joining David Weber (Round 11, 1988), Jeff Francis (Round 6, 1989), Jeff Lewis (Round 4, 1996), Brian Griese (Round 3, 1998), Jarious Jackson (Round 7, 2000), Matt Mauck (Round 7, 2004), Bradlee Van Pelt (Round 7, 2004), Jay Cutler (Round 1, 2006) and Robert Griffin III (Round 1, 2012).

• Cousins is the second Michigan State product selected by a team coached by Mike Shanahan, joining WR Herb Haygood, whom Shanahan’s Denver Broncos drafted with the No. 144 overall pick of the 2002 NFL Draft.

• Cousins is the fifth Michigan State quarterback drafted in the last 20 years, joining Drew Stanton (Detroit Lions, 2007), Jeff Smoker (St. Louis, 2004), Tony Banks (St. Louis, 1996) and Jim Miller (Pittsburgh, 1994).

NOTES ON KEENAN ROBINSON SELECTION:

• Robinson is the 15^th University of Texas player selected by the Redskins all-time and the eighth selected by the Redskins in the Common Draft era. The eight selections by the Redskins in the Common Draft era ties Texas with Miami (Fla.) for fifth-most in team history.

• Robinson is the third Texas linebacker selected by the Redskins all-time, joining Brian Orakpo (Round 1, No. 13 overall in 2009) and Boone Powell (Round 9, No. 252 overall in 1992).

• Robinson is the Redskins’ 26^th fourth-round pick in the Common Draft era.

• Robinson is the fifth player selected by the Redskins at No. 119 overall in team history, joining E Joe Tereshinski (Round 13 in 1946), T Weldon Edwards (Round 14, 1947), B Billy Joe (Round 9, 1963) and DE Dexter Manley (Round 5, 1981).

• Robinson was part of the South squad coached by Mike Shanahan at the 2012 Senior Bowl.

• Robinson is the third Texas product selected by a Shanahan-coached team, joining G Dan Neil (No. 67 in 1997) and DE Tim Crowder (No. 56 in 2007).

• Robinson is the 13^th linebacker selected by a Shanahan-coached team, joining Erwin Grabisna, Ken Brown, Phil Yeboah-Kodie, Steve Russ, John Mobley, Nate Wayne, Al Wilson, Ian Gold, Terry Pierce, D.J. Williams, Spencer Larsen, and Perry Riley.

NOTES ON THE SELECTION OF ADAM GETTIS

• Gettis is the 32^nd fifth-round pick by the Redskins in the Common Draft era.

• With the selection of Gettis and third-round pick Josh LeRibeus, the Redskins have spent two picks in the first five rounds on offensive linemen for the first time since 2000 when the team selected T Chris Samuels (Round 1, No. 3 overall) and G Michael Moore (Round 4, No. 129).

• Gettis is the fifth player taken by the Redskins with the No. 141 overall selection all-time, joining Gerry Planutis (1956), Wade Mitchell (1957), Carl Palazzo (1962) and Conway Hayman (1971).

• Gettis is the 13^th player drafted from Iowa by the Redskins all-time and the third in the Common Draft era. 

• Gettis became the first Iowa player selected by the Redskins since the team selected RB Ladell Betts (No. 56 overall in 2002).

• Gettis became the third player from Iowa selected by a team coached by Mike Shanahan, joining G Fritz Fequiere (1995) and WR Kevin Kasper (2001). 

• Gettis became the 19^th player and the fourth lineman drafted by a Shanahan-coached team to have competed collegiately in the Big Ten Conference.

NOTES ON ALFRED MORRIS SELECTION:

• Morris is the fourth player selected by the Redskins all-time with the No. 173 overall pick, joining C John Didion (1969), WR Roland Merritt (1970), and current Redskins safety Reed Doughty (2006).

• Morris is the fifth running back selected by the Redskins in the sixth round in the Common Era, joining Jon Keyworth (No. 144 overall in 1974), Tony Green (No. 159 in 1978), Dennis Morris (No. 174 in 2010) and current Redskins running back Evan Royster (No. 177 in 2011).

• The Redskins have now selected a running back in the sixth round in each of the past three drafts.

• Morris played at Florida Atlantic under legendary coach Howard Schnellenberger. Schnellenberger was drafted by the Redskins in the 21^st round (No. 251 overall) of the 1956 NFL Draft.

• Morris is the third player from Florida Atlantic to be selected in the NFL Draft, joining QB Rusty Smith (Tennessee Titans, 2010) and TE Rob Housler (Arizona Cardinals, 2011).

• Morris is the first player from the Sun Belt Conference ever selected by a team coached by Mike Shanahan.

• Morris was a member of the South squad coached by Shanahan at the 2012 Senior Bowl. Morris joins fourth-round pick Keenan Robinson as one of two Senior Bowl South team players in the Redskins’ 2012 draft class.

NOTES ON THOMAS COMPTON SELECTION:

• Compton is the seventh player selected by the Redskins at the No. 193 overall pick and the second in the Common Draft era.

• Compton is the second player selected by the Redskins out of South Dakota, joining DB Johnny Vann (No. 258 in the 1974 NFL Draft). 

• Compton is the 10^th player out of South Dakota drafted by an NFL team in the Common Draft era. Compton is the highest-selected player since T John Kohler was selected by Denver with the No. 63 pick of the 1970 NFL Draft.

• With the selection of third-round pick Josh LeRibeus, fifth-round pick Adam Gettis and Compton, the Redskins selected three offensive linemen for only the second time since the NFL reduced the draft to seven rounds. The other instance came in 2010, when the Redskins selected OT Trent Williams, C Erik Cook and OT Selvish Capers.

NOTES ON RICHARD CRAWFORD SELECTION:

• Crawford is the fifth player selected by the Redskins at No. 213 overall all-time, joining G Ed Sakach (1957), T Ron Petty (1961), LB Kurt Gouveia (1986) and current Redskins CB Brandyn Thompson (2011). 

• Crawford is now the seventh SMU product to be drafted by the Redskins, joining T Sid Halliday (1945), E Gabby Martin (1945), C Dick Hightower (1952), E Ben White (1952), WR Aldrick Robinson (2011), and 2012 third-round pick G Josh LeRibeus.

• With Crawford and LeRibeus’ selections, the Redskins have now taken multiple SMU players in three different NFL drafts (1945, 1952 and 2012). Six of SMU’s seven players drafted by the Redskins were selected with college teammates.

• Crawford joins LeRibeus and Robinson as the third player from SMU drafted by a team coached by Mike Shanahan.

• LeRibeus is the sixth Conference USA player selected by a Shanahan-coached team, joining WR Chad Plummer (1999 NFL Draft, University of Cincinnati), WR Adrian Madise (2003, TCU), WR Brandon Marshall (2006, Central Florida), Robinson and LeRibeus.

NOTES ON JORDAN BERNSTINE SELECTION:

• Bernstine is the fourth selection by the Redskins at No. 217 overall all-time, joining G Robert Reed (1965), WR Tim Alexander (1999), and current Redskins G Maurice Hurt (2011).

• Bernstine is the 14^th player drafted from Iowa by the Redskins all-time and the fourth in the Common Draft era, joining T Paul Laveeg (1970), RB Ladell Betts (2002) and 2012 fifth-round draft pick G Adam Gettis.

• Bernstine is the fourth player from Iowa selected by a team coached by Mike Shanahan, joining G Fritz Fequiere (1995) and WR Kevin Kasper (2001).