Redskins see ‘great options’ at quarterback

INDIANAPOLIS — Inexperience at the quarterback position isn’t as big a deal in the NFL as it once was — the Baltimore Ravens, one of a half dozen teams with rookie starters last season, even made the playoffs behind first-year man Lamar Jackson.

So if the quarterback-needy Redskins have to start a rookie next season, that’s “no problem,” says Jay Gruden.

Speaking with reporters Thursday at the NFL scouting combine, the Redskins coach said there’s always pressure to get draft picks on the field as soon as possible.

“There’s always urgency for sure,” Gruden said. “When you draft a rookie quarterback — if you draft a rookie quarterback and you expect him to play or sit a year or whatever — the time of development is you don’t have a lot of time. You expect these guys to play.

“If you invest a draft pick into these guys, they should come in and play and be ready to play. You’re drafting them for a reason — not to hold a clipboard.”

The Redskins have the 15th pick in this year’s draft and Gruden and his staff are in Indianapolis evaluating this year’s top prospects, including the 2019 quarterback class.

The team could always sign someone in free agency or acquire another via trade. Gruden, too, said they wouldn’t commit to drafting a quarterback unless they liked them.

But Washington’s financial situation will likely keep them out of the top names on the free agent market. With so many other needs on the roster, it would make sense to go young.

And the Redskins seem to realize this, too.

“If we bring in a guy at this stage, nine out of 10 [times] it’s going to be a young guy,” senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams said.

The top two names in this year’s class are Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray and Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins. Gruden, in particular, spoke highly of Murray — dismissing the idea his 5-foot-10 stature would be a problem in the NFL.

There’s a strong possibility Murray could be gone by the time the Redskins pick at No. 15. Williams, though, downplayed the possibility of trading up to land a quarterback — like they did for Robert Griffin III in 2012.

The Redskins have nine picks total in this upcoming draft.

“We’ve got a lot more needs on this football team than to say we can give up two or three picks and pick one guy and think we’re going to have the football team that we hope to have,” Williams said. “We have to use our picks wisely and make sure we’ve got guys who are coming here that can help us build this football team a lot better than it is.”

Gruden and Williams each expressed confidence in Colt McCoy if the veteran became the starter next season. McCoy has been with the Redskins since 2014 and started two games last year before suffering a season-ending broken leg against the Philadelphia Eagles.

But both said whoever is brought in will compete for the starting job. Gruden added he would like to see McCoy “tone it down” and take fewer risks when under center. The 32-year-old has durability concerns.

Gruden said he’s been excited by the quarterbacks the team has met with so far.

At the combine, teams have the opportunity to meet with up to 60 prospects for 15-minute formal interviews. Gruden said he uses the time to review five of the player’s plays to test their football knowledge.

“There’s a lot of great options out there (at quarterback),” Gruden said. “We’re just starting to talk about all of them.”