By Lewis Gould
Thanks to the Post, we finally have a deep dive into why the WFT has been so bad for so long:
Owner Daniel Snyder, who knows nothing about football, weas making talent decision!
Despite coaches and executives carefully planning out how to approach the NFL draft, Snyder would occasionally “come off his yacht and make” selections, according to the Washington Post.
That quote comes courtesy of former Washington head coach Jay Gruden, who said the team’s coaches would work with vice president of player personnel Kyle Smith on draft strategies only for Snyder to make a pick at the last second.
“Every year that I was there, we had a pretty good draft class, with a couple exceptions,” former coach Jay Gruden said. “[Smith] was really good about listening to the coaches because the coaches also did evaluations. … When it came our time to pick, we’d always talk about the picks, where we’d like to go, what happens if [the player] is gone, and did all our scenarios. And then [owner Daniel Snyder] would come in off his yacht and make the pick.”
Smith left the team Friday to take the same position with the Atlanta Falcons. Smith had a big hand in Washington landing Terry McLaurin in the draft, among other players, but was not interviewed for Washington’s open general manager spot. That may have led to Smith leaving the franchise.
One of the picks made by Snyder was former Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins, according to the Washington Post. Snyder was reportedly set on selecting Haskins with the team’s first-round pick in 2019. Coaches and team executives reportedly did not want Haskins, viewing him as a long-term project, but Snyder overruled them.
Haskins lasted less than two seasons with Washington. The team cut him in December after his second COVID-19 violation of the season. Haskins made 13 starts, completing 60.1 percent of his passes for 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
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