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Redskins make the right move: Hire McCloughan

The Redskins took a major step in the right direction by promoting Bruce Allen to President and bringing Scot McCloughan on as the General Manager. McCloughan is one of the most respected football minds in the NFL, and was a phenomenal hire by the Redskins.

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Redskins have a new General Manager, and for the first time in a long time, it is a true football GM: Scot McCloughan. Bruce Allen will take a "promotion" to be team President, in other words Mr. Allen will crunch numbers and focus on Fall Harvest.

As for new GM McCloughan, he will reportedly have complete control over all personnel department. That simply means that McCloughan will have the power to add and likely subtract scouts from the Redskins current scouting department as well as control over all draft and free agent decisions.

This is a move to get really excited about if you're a Redskins fan. McCloughan played a huge role in building super bowl contenders in San Francisco and Seattle. Not to mention, that McCloughan did so mainly through the draft, largely how the 49ers and Seahawks have been able to remain consistent contenders year in and year out.

This move could very well be the culture change the Redskins have desperately needed for years. With McCloughan, the days of splashy free agent spending and trying to buy a super bowl contender will be over, and the Redskins will begin to build depth and a complete roster mostly focusing on the draft.

This is a best case scenario if you're a Redskins fan; McCloughan is one of the most respected football minds in the NFL. However, that doesn't mean that the move doesn't come without risk. McCloughan battled alcoholism which led to his brief time away from the NFL. McCloughan has reportedly gotten help, and is ready to make his return to the NFL, but when you've been the laughing stock of the NFL for as long as the Redskins have, McCloughan is certainly worth the risk, and comes with a high reward.

McCloughan has a very successful draft history, and may be most famous for taking a chance on a short quarterback from Wisconsin in the third round, who is now a super bowl champion. However, what McCloughan may be best at is finding the diamonds in the rough picks. McCloughan consistently finds contributors late, in rounds 5-7. These are the types of picks that can make a good team great. Before McCloughan the majority of the Redskins late round picks don't ever make it onto the 53-man roster, let alone become impact players.

As shocked as I am to type these words: the Redskins have had a very good off-season thus far. Jim Haslett probably took some unfair criticism at times, but I believe that the mutual parting was a necessary change that needed to happen. Depending on whom the Redskins bring in to ultimately replace him; along with the move to bring in McCloughan at GM the Redskins have had an A+ off-season thus far. Pinch me, I must be dreaming.

The roster is still a mess, and it will be a process, but the Redskins have taken steps in the right direction this off-season. The next step for the Redskins is to continue their success throughout the free agent and draft process.

Hiring McCloughan is great, he's a phenomenal football mind, but he isn't a miracle worker. The rebuild process will take time, but there are few better people to be in charge of the rebuild than McCloughan. Redskins fans have to understand that there are still issues across the roster, and be patient while McCloughan goes to work and tries to turn around one of the most dysfunctional franchises in all of sports. Embrace the rebuild, Redskins nation, because for the first time in a long time, there is some legitimate things to be excited about in D.C.

I rarely type these words, but solid job Dan and Bruce.

For some background on McCloughan's draft history, here's how the 49ers and Seattle fared with McCloughan calling the shots:

2014 - SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
2 45 Paul Richardson WR Colorado
2 64 Justin Britt T Missouri
4 108 Cassius Marsh DE UCLA
4 123 Kevin Norwood WR Alabama
4 132 Kevin Pierre-Louis OLB Boston College
5 172 Jimmy Staten DT Middle Tennessee State
6 199 Garrett Scott T Marshall
6 208 Eric Pinkins DB San Diego State
7 227 Kiero Small FB Arkansas
2013 - SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
2 62 Christine Michael RB Texas A&M
3 87 Jordan Hill DT Penn State
4 123 Chris Harper WR Kansas State
5 137 Jesse Williams DT Alabama
5 138 Tharold Simon CB LSU
5 158 Luke Willson TE Rice
6 194 Spencer Ware RB LSU
7 220 Ryan Seymour OG Vanderbilt
7 231 Ty Powell LB Harding
7 241 Jared Smith DT New Hampshire
7 242 Michael Bowie OT Northeastern State (Okla.)
2012 - SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 15 Bruce Irvin DE West Virginia
2 47 Bobby Wagner LB Utah State
3 75 Russell Wilson QB Wisconsin
4 106 Robert Turbin RB Utah State
4 114 Jaye Howard DT Florida
5 154 Korey Toomer LB Idaho
6 172 Jeremy Lane CB Northwestern State-Louisiana
6 181 Winston Guy DB Kentucky
7 225 J.R. Sweezy G North Carolina State
7 232 Greg Scruggs DE Louisville
2011 - SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 25 James Carpenter T Alabama
3 75 John Moffitt G Wisconsin
4 99 K.J. Wright LB Mississippi State
4 107 Kris Durham WR Georgia
5 154 Richard Sherman DB Stanford
5 156 Mark LeGree DB Appalachian State
6 173 Byron Maxwell DB Clemson
7 205 Lazarius Levingston DE LSU
7 242 Malcolm Smith LB USC
2010 - SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 6 Russell Okung T Oklahoma State
1 14 Earl Thomas FS Texas
2 60 Golden Tate WR Notre Dame
4 111 Walter Thurmond CB Oregon
4 127 E.J. Wilson DE North Carolina
5 133 Kam Chancellor DB Virginia Tech
6 185 Anthony McCoy TE USC
7 236 Dexter Davis DE Arizona State
7 245 Jameson Konz TE

Kent State

2009 - SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 10 Michael Crabtree WR Texas Tech
3 74 Glen Coffee RB Alabama
5 146 Scott McKillop LB Pittsburgh
5 171 Nate Davis QB Ball State
6 184 Bear Pascoe TE Fresno State
7 219 Curtis Taylor DB Louisiana State
7 244 Ricky Jean-Francois DT Louisiana State
2008 - SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 29 Kentwan Balmer DE North Carolina
2 39 Chilo Rachal G USC
3 75 Reggie Smith DB Oklahoma
4 107 Cody Wallace C Texas A&M
6 174 Josh Morgan WR Virginia Tech
7 214 Larry Grant OLB Ohio State
2007 - SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 11 Patrick Willis ILB Mississippi
1 28 Joe Staley OT Central Michigan
3 76 Jason Hill WR Washington State
3 97 Ray McDonald DE Florida
4 104 Jay Moore LB Nebraska
4 126 Dashon Goldson SAF Washington
4 135 Joe Cohen DT Florida
5 147 Tarell Brown CB Texas
6 186 Thomas Clayton RB Kansas State
2006 - SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 6 Vernon Davis TE Maryland
1 22 Manny Lawson OLB North Carolina State
3 84 Brandon Williams WR Wisconsin
4 100 Michael Robinson RB Penn State
5 140 Parys Haralson DE Tennessee
6 175 Delanie Walker TE Central Missouri State
6 192 Marcus Hudson DB North Carolina State
6 197 Melvin Oliver DE Louisiana State
7 254 Vickiel Vaughn DB Arkansas
2005 - SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
RD SEL # PLAYER POSITION SCHOOL
1 1 Alex Smith QB Utah
2 33 David Baas G Michigan
3 65 Frank Gore RB Miami (Fla.)
3 94 Adam Snyder T Oregon
5 137 Ronald Fields DT Mississippi State
5 174 Rasheed Marshall WR West Virginia
6 205 Derrick Johnson CB Washington
7 215 Daven Holly DB Cincinnati
7 223 Marcus Maxwell WR Oregon
7 248 Patrick Estes T Virginia
7 249 Billy Bajema TE Oklahoma State