List of Washington Redskins first-round draft picks

This is a list of first-round draft picks made by the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. The Redskins joined the NFL in 1932 as the Boston Braves. [cite web | work=Washington Redskins' Official Website | url=http://www.redskins.com/team/history-history.jsp#1930 | title=History: History by Decades | accessdate=2007-11-15] In 1933, the name was changed to the Boston Redskins, and finally, in 1937 the Redskins moved to Washington, D.C. [cite web | work=Sportsecyclopedia | url=http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/washington/redskins.html | title=Washington Redskins (1937-present) | accessdate=2007-11-15] The Redskins' first selection as an NFL team was Riley Smith, a blocking back from Alabama.cite web | work=NFL's Official Website | url=http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/teambyteam?team=Washington+Redskins | title=NFL Draft History: First Round by Team | accessdate=2007-11-15] The team's most-recent first-round selection was LaRon Landry, a safety from LSU.

Every year during April, each NFL franchise seeks to add new players to its roster through a collegiate draft known as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting," which is more commonly known as the NFL Draft. Teams are ranked in inverse order based on the previous season's record, with the worst record picking first, and the second worst picking second and so on. The two exceptions to this order are made for teams that appeared in the previous Super Bowl; the Super Bowl champion "always" picks 32nd, and the Super Bowl loser "always" picks 31st. Teams have the option of trading away their picks to other teams for different picks, players, cash, or a combination thereof. Thus, it is not uncommon for a team's actual draft pick to differ from their assigned draft pick, or for a team to have extra or no draft picks in any round due to these trades. [cite web|url=http://football.about.com/od/miscinformation/a/detdraftorder.htm| last = Alder | first = James | title = "NFL Draft Basics:Determining Order of Selection" | work = football.about.com | accessdate=2007-10-23]

The Redskins have selected number one overall twice: Harry Gilmer and Ernie Davis. The team has also selected number two overall three times and number three overall five times. The Redskins have selected players from the University of Alabama four times, the University of Miami three times, and Penn State University three times. [cite web | work=DraftHistory.com | url=http://www.drafthistory.com/team-college/redskins.html | title=Draft History for Teams by Colleges | accessdate=2007-12-06] Four eventual Hall of Famers were selected by the Redskins in the first round: Sammy Baugh, Darrell Green, Art Monk, and Charley Taylor. [cite web | work=Pro Football Hall of Fame official Web site | url=http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/teams.html | title=Hall of Famers by Franchise | accessdate=2007-12-06]

Two Washington Redskins first-round draft picks have died during their football careers. The first was Ernie Davis, who was chosen as the first overall pick in 1962. After being traded to the Cleveland Browns for Bobby Mitchell and Leroy Jackson, Davis was diagnosed with leukemia and died before playing a game with the Browns. [cite web | work=Star-Gazette official Web site | url=http://www.stargazettesports.com/ErnieDavis/ernie1.html | title=The Ernie I knew | accessdate=2007-11-06] The other was Sean Taylor, the Redskins' first round pick in 2004, who was fatally shot in November 2007 during his fourth season with the Redskins. [cite news |title=American football: Redskins' Taylor dies after shooting |url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hDiQaCKctJga3VcwK7J8SSUZIKQA |publisher=Associated Press |date=November 27 2007 |accessdate=2007-12-06 ]

Key

Notable Firsts

*The first player ever selected in the draft, Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger, chose not to play pro football. Riley Smith, taken second overall by the Boston Redskins, holds the distinction of being the first drafted player to play in the NFL. [cite web | work=Pro Football Hall of Fame official Web site | url=http://www.profootballhof.com/history/general/draft/1930s.jsp | title=Pro Football Draft History: The 1930s | accessdate=2007-12-04]

*Ernie Davis, the Redskins' first pick in 1962, became the first African-American selected number one overall in an NFL draft. [cite web | work=Pro Football Hall of Fame official Web site | url=http://www.profootballhof.com/history/general/draft/1960s.jsp | title=Pro Football Draft History: The 1960s | accessdate=2007-12-04]

Footnotes

References

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*cite web | work=DraftHistory.com | url=http://www.drafthistory.com/years.html | title= Draft by Year | accessdate=2007-11-05
*cite web | work=Pro Football Hall of Fame official website | url=http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/teams.html | title=Hall of Famers by Franchise | accessdate=2007-11-05
*cite web | work=TheHogs.net | url=http://www.thehogs.net/History/draftHistory3.php | title=Draft History: 1936-59 | accessdate=2007-11-05
*cite web | work=TheHogs.net | url=http://www.thehogs.net/History/draftHistory2.php | title=Draft History: 1960-89 | accessdate=2007-11-05
*cite web | work=TheHogs.net | url=http://www.thehogs.net/History/draftHistory.php | title=Draft History: 1990-Present | accessdate=2007-11-05
*cite web | work=The Football Database | url=http://www.footballdb.com/draft.html | title=Draft History | accessdate=2007-11-05
*cite web | work=San Francisco Chronicle | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2000/04/14/SP53632.DTL | title=NFL's Draft-Day Quagmire: To Fill a Need or Catch a Star? | accessdate=2007-11-18
*cite web | work=Washington Redskins' official wedsite| url=http://www.redskins.com/news/draftCentralDetail.jsp?id=25699 | title=Wheeling and Dealing As Draft Day Unfolds | accessdate=2007-11-24