Griffin stole the show, but a lot of interesting things happened for the Redskins over the course of seven rounds and nine picks. If you’re fixated on name recognition, you’re probably disappointed with the haul (after RGIII). But a fully informed perspective should ease your concerns. Even without a 2nd-rounder I think the ‘Skins did well to improve their future, especially in the intermediate-to-long-term. Here are some of my initial reactions in no particular order:

• If Griffin is even 80% of what we think he is, the rest of this draft is gravy. Bonus. Remember that. Any draft class that includes a franchise quarterback is a good one. That’s your starting point.
• Some people were hoping we’d move up into the 2nd for a household name that slipped through the cracks on Thursday night. I’m not terribly disappointed that we didn’t. This team still has numerous weaknesses and will benefit from competition throughout the roster, even on special teams. I doubt we’ll see 100% of the draft picks make the roster this year (as happened last year), but that’s okay too. It means other guys have stepped up. Shanny just keeps bringing in more and more competition at every position, which is a key ingredient in this so-called “winning culture.”
• I’ll be up-front in admitting I was initially underwhelmed by the LeRibeus pick in the 3rd. I had never heard of him before. I’m not a draft maniac, but I’m pretty thorough, so I assumed right away that my lack of familiarity meant he was clearly a reach. I’ve since done a lot of Internet research on him and can honestly say I’m warming up to him. He has what I would call a “radically blue-collar” attitude toward football and blocking, very reminiscent of our beloved Hogs. He’s a grinder. Loves to piss off his opponents. The NFC East will probably hate him. He’s just sloppy and dirty and loves hitting guys. He won’t blow you away with natural athleticism, but he has enough of it to pull very effectively. Shanny doesn’t historically take linemen as high as the early 3rd, so you have to believe he will fit the system. I think he’ll push ‘Steiger or Chester (or maybe even Monty, as he can play some center) for playing time even as a rookie. I’m still not swooning over this pick, as I think he might have been available later on, but I like what it stands for.
• Keenan Robinson should be getting more pub than he is. Good size, good instincts, very good athleticism, very productive player in the Big 12. Has a chance to develop into a quality starter. He and Riley might make a nice inside pairing one day, after Fletch moves on. Robinson is not a pass-rushing maven, but made a lot of impact plays in college, including a nice sack of RGIII. He has nice range in going sideline-to-sideline.
• The Internet has been flooded with Kirk Cousins discussion, so I’ll barely touch on it here, except to say that I have absolutely no problem with the pick and appreciate that Shan stuck to his draft board, rather than picking some dude that might one day “fill a need.” QB2 is a major need. I’ll probably end up blogging about this eventually because there is so much impulsive nonsense out there about it right now. In the meantime, I agree with pretty much everything Hogs Haven wrote about it here.
• Gettis has some nice potential at both guard and center. Wouldn’t be shocked if he sees the field this year.
• Morris is flying totally under the radar but, as proven in the video posted below, he runs like an evil beast and will probably be Shanny’s next tailback gem.
• Compton is probably my favorite pick of the bunch (not counting Griffin). He has ideal size and above-average athleticism for the tackle position, started for two years each on either side in college, and was extremely effective throughout his amateur career, albeit against second-rate competition. I’d actually have been satisfied with him in LeRibeus’s spot (or definitely either of the 4th-round spots), so I’m very high on taking him in the 6th. I figured he’d have been snapped up by another ZBS team by then. I think this guy will start for us one day. Angling for an original BB email interview with Compton as you read this.
• Crawford and Bernstine are total wildcards but appear to offer nice special teams ability, which could help them make the final roster.
• A quick note on the undrafted free agent class: at least two (and up to four) of these guys have legitimate potential to make the NFL. Chase Minnifield, whose dad was a very good player for the Browns, was probably a 2nd-rounder until late-season knee surgery. Excellent size, very good technique, outstanding ball skills. Not the fastest guy in the world but seriously, he’s a baller. I’ll tell you right now that if his knee is not an issue, he could be the best corner on the Redskins by 2014. The other guy I really like is 6’3” receiver Lance Lewis, who scored 22 touchdowns for ECU in the past two seasons and had a huge day against Top 10 pick Stephon Gilmore when ECU played South Carolina. Lewis is a big target with phenomenal deep ball skills. Just a touchdown-machine. He bounced around some junior colleges for academic reasons and ended up at ECU only because eligibility issues kept him out of the bigger conferences. He can’t block worth a lick but as a pass-catcher, I could see him being in the top five or six on this team immediately. The other two guys in this UDFA class I’ll watch closely are center Grant Garner and tackle Josh Oglesby, both of whom are athletically limited but 1st Team All-Conference as seniors.