Before he was one of the better football analysts on ESPN, Louis Riddick was once a scout and director of player personnel for the Washington Football Team from 2001-07.
It was during that time that Washington drafted one of the most popular players in franchise history.
Back in 2004, WFT drafted Miami safety Sean Taylor, No. 5 overall.
According to Riddick, in an appearance on “Get Up” on ESPN, Washington almost didn’t draft Taylor.
It was between Taylor and his Miami teammate, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. The legendary Joe Gibbs, who had returned as Washington’s coach, loved Winslow’s ability to stretch the field from the tight end position.
“When I was with Washington, and we drafted Sean Taylor, the night before the draft, we had Kellen Winslow Jr. ranked ahead of Sean Taylor,” Riddick said via Jaylon Thompson of 247Sports.
We had a meeting the night before the draft, the entire personnel department, the entire coaching staff, all of us in a room. And it got heated. It got heated as far as debating who was going to have the greater impact, who was going to have the greater career, which guy would present the best value for us picking that year.
Needless to say, Taylor won out. And, it was the right choice. In four years, Taylor’s impact was legendary. His life was tragically cut short in Nov. 2007.
Taylor’s blend of size, speed, instincts and intelligence hasn’t been seen in the NFL since. It’s why he remains the idol of so many younger safeties currently in the NFL, including Washington’s own Landon Collins.