Redskins sign fourth-round QB Kirk Cousins

Redskins QB Kirk Cousin officially becomes a member of the team.

The Washington Redskins announced earlier today via twitter that they have agreed to terms with fourth-round selection Kirk Cousins, the eighth quarterback selected in the the draft and second by the Redskins.

The move raised eyebrows across the league--Why would a team who just selected their potential franchise quarterback in Robert Griffin III second overall take another quarterback just three rounds later?  The answer, in a word, is value.  The Redskins saw tremendous value in Cousins as an eventual backup to Griffin III and potentially as trade-bait down the road, so they snagged him up.  The idea that this draft selection will somehow cause a rift on the Redskins' locker room because Cousins is tagged as a 'natural leader' is lunacy.  Griffin is the starting quarterback of the Washington Redskins and the only thing that will change that is injury.

Another criticism I've heard of the Kirk Cousins selection is: "Why didn't the Redskins take a player who will actually see the field and contribute instead of a backup quarterback?"  This commentary actually has merit unlike the natural leader fallacy.  But, I'd argue that a legitimate backup quarterback is of much greater importance to a team than a role player or special teams player, which is what you're drafting in the third round anyways.

Cousins was the 102nd overall player selected.  Let's look at some previous players selected 102nd overall:

2011 NFL Draft
Cleveland Browns select Jordan Cameron, TE, USC
Cameron played in eight games for the Browns in 2011, catching six passes for 33 yards.

2010 NFL Draft
Houston Texans select Darryl Sharpton, LB, Miami (FL)
Sharpton has 46 tackles and 1.0 sacks in 20 career games played.

2009 NFL Draft
Kansas City Chiefs select Donald Washington, CB, Ohio State
The OSU product has two passes defensed and zero interceptions in his first three years in the league.

Now, there have obviously been great players drafted in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds.  My point is that since the quarterback position is the most important positional in the entirety of professional sports, a team should go above and beyond to secure that position.  The Washington Redskins made an excellent decision in drafting Kirk Cousins, and those who rail against it are short-sighted and not understanding the big picture.