Three pass rushers were drafted in the top ten this year — Chris Long (St. Louis), Vernon Gholston (NYJ), and Derrick Harvey (Jacksonville). From 1996 to 2007, twenty-two outside linebackers or defensive ends were selected in the top ten of the draft. Over that span we’ve seen incredible performances by some pass rushers (Simeon Rice, Terrell Suggs, Julius Peppers) and we’ve seen some big time busts (Cedric Jones, Jamal Reynolds, Jamal Anderson). But what happens on average?
Year Player Pos Team Pick Games Sacks
2007 Jamaal Anderson DE atl 8 16 0.0
2007 Gaines Adams DE tam 4 16 6.0
2006 Ernie Sims LB det 9 16 0.5
2006 A.J. Hawk LB gnb 5 16 3.5
2006 Mario Williams DE htx 1 16 4.5
2003 Terrell Suggs LB rav 10 16 12.0
2002 Julius Peppers DE car 2 12 12.0
2001 Justin Smith DE cin 4 15 8.5
2001 Jamal Reynolds DE gnb 10 6 2.0
2001 Richard Seymour DE nwe 6 13 3.0
2001 Andre Carter DE sfo 7 15 6.5
2000 LaVar Arrington LB was 2 16 4.0
2000 Courtney Brown DE cle 1 16 4.5
1999 Chris Claiborne LB det 9 15 1.5
1998 Andre Wadsworth DE crd 3 16 5.0
1998 Greg Ellis DE dal 8 16 3.0
1998 Grant Wistrom DE ram 6 13 3.0
1997 Peter Boulware LB rav 4 16 11.5
1997 James Farrior LB nyj 8 16 1.5
1996 Kevin Hardy LB jax 2 16 5.5
1996 Simeon Rice DE crd 3 16 12.5
1996 Cedric Jones DE nyg 5 16 0.0
15 5.0
Averaging out the projections of Footballguys.com IDP experts Aaron Rudnicki and John Norton, and Long is projected to have seven sacks, Gholston 4.5 sacks, and Harvey four sacks. That averages out to just a hair over 5 sacks per top ten rookie pass rusher, right in line with historical norms.
It’s hard to believe that it took the loss of Philip Daniels to season-ending knee surgery to get the always active Daniel Snyder to trade for sack master Jason Taylor. But shortly after Daniels was lost for the season in 7-on-7 drills in practice, the team put together a package (2nd and 6th round draft picks) to acquire the 33-year old defensive end from the Miami Dolphins.
It’s no secret that Taylor has been on the market since the day Bill Parcells took over the franchise. While it’s unclear why Parcells and Taylor seemed ill at ease with one another, the fact remains a deal to move the 6-time Pro Bowler has been in the works for a long time.
Taylor, who chose to spend his offseason Dancing with the Stars instead of practicing with the fins joins a team that plays a 4-3 defensive front and is in desperate need of another defensive playmaker. While Taylor isn’t a spring chicken, he’s inarguably among the best conditioned athletes in the league and remains highly effective:
- Taylor had 11 sacks last year
- His 117 career sacks put him 14th all-time
- He has six seasons of 10+ sacks, including the last three consecutively
- Taylor hasn’t missed a game since 1999
What does this mean for fantasy owners?
Washington ranked 16th last year with 33 sacks. The addition of Taylor should push them into the top-10; which means more chances for the defensive secondary to make big plays on the ball, to boot. The Redskins are a team in flux this year with a new head Coach (Jim Zorn), offensive coordinator (Sherm Smith) and defensive coordinator (Greg Blache) but now have a weapon that might make them competitive in the toughest division in the NFC. The ability to generate big plays (sacks, INTs, defensive TDs) is the difference between being a fantasy afterthought or an every week starting option. The Skins MAY have just moved from the former to the latter.
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