Those Redskins fans exasperated by their franchise's profligate free-agent spending and wasteful attitude when it comes to draft picks (especially in the Vinny Cerrato "era") would be forgiven for believing that owner Dan Snyder had finally gone completely around the bend. Under different conditions, the Friday trade with the St. Louis Rams that gave first-round picks in 2013 and 2014, switched first-rounders in 2012, and cost an additional second-round pick in 2012 for the right to select Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III with the second-overall pick in 2012 would seem to be yet another case of Snyder's team being pennywise and pound-foolish. And when it comes to multi-pick trades for quarterbacks, there's no middle ground -- if you do it, you're either a genius or an idiot. In 2004, the New York Giants swapped first-round draft picks with the San Diego Chargers (going from fourth overall to first), their 2005 first-round pick, and their third- and fifth-round picks in 2005 for the rights to quarterback Eli Manning. Since that day, and after some rough spots early on, Manning has proven the wisdom of the move by nabbing two Super Bowl MVP awards. In 1997, the Chicago Bears traded their first-round pick outright (the eleventh overall) for the "privilege" of acquiring Seattle Seahawks quarterback Rick Mirer. Mirer was a washout in Chicago, while the Seahawks selected tackle Walter Jones, the greatest player in franchise history, with one of their two first-round picks. Meanwhile, the Bears' ongoing and fruitless search for an elite quarterback had them acquiring Jay Cutler by swapping first-round picks with the Denver Broncos in 2009, giving up their first-round pick in 2010, and sweetening the pot with a third-round pick and quarterback Kyle Orton. So, yeah -- the risk/reward meter is pretty much off the charts here. <br /> But in the case of Griffin and the Redskins, there are a few myths that need busting. First, the oft-repeated idea that the Redskins are giving up three first-round picks? They're not. They're giving up two first-round picks outright, and moving up from sixth to second overall this year to select a player who might change their quarterback situation for the better after a decade of serious misfires. Second, the idea that without first-round picks in 2013 and 2014, the Redskins are doomed in a draft sense. While it takes more football acumen to make those later picks stand out, current Giants general manager Jerry Reese said at the 2008 scouting combine that the second half of the draft is where personnel executives earn their paychecks. Reese knows of what he speaks -- with just four picks in the 2005 draft as a result of the Eli trade, the Giants hit big on three of those picks with cornerback Corey Webster, running back Brandon Jacobs, and defensive lineman Justin Tuck. Reese was the team's Director of Player Personnel at that time -- he coordinated all the scouting reports and ran the draft room when the Giants transcended their relative lack of draft capital. The Redskins are not "totally hosed" by this trade if they exhibit similar skill in the later rounds. Third, this Redskins organization is more willing to do so.
