Redskins draft another QB: Michigan State's Cousin

"  ASHBURN, Va. (AP) The Washington Redskins were serenading the arrival of RobertGriffin III at a draft-day party at FedEx Field when they surprisedthe football world by drafting another quarterback.However, coach Mike Shanahan quickly deflected talk of apossible quarterback controversy, saying Michigan State's KirkCousins was taken in the fourth round on Saturday as a long-terminsurance policy.''Any time you get a quarterback like Robert in the second pickof a draft . he's your franchise quarterback,'' Shanahan said.''He's going to be your quarterback for the next decade. (Kirk)knows he's going to be a backup . but there (are) injuries. Ithought it was a steal for us.''Nonetheless Cousins, who won 27 games as a three-year starter atMichigan State, was a little surprised to be picked byWashington.`'I was trying to forecast which teams would be looking at aquarterback and I didn't see the Redskins thinking along thoselines,'' Cousins said.Washington was the first team to select two quarterbacks duringthe first four rounds since Green Bay in 1989. The last time theRedskins chose a quarterback in the top 10 before Griffin was in1994 when they took Heath Shuler. He was eventually beaten out byGus Frerotte, whom the Redskins chose in the seventh round thatyear.As for RGIII, he knows much is expected of him.The Redskins have started 21 quarterbacks over the last 19seasons while making the playoffs just three times. But he seemsmore than comfortable with the expectations.''I've definitely seen the struggles the team has gone through,especially when it comes to quarterbacks,'' Griffin said. ''Theydrafted me to try to be the solution to that problem and I plan onbeing that solution.''Before the third day of the draft was done, the Redskins cutJohn Beck, who nearly beat out Rex Grossman to be the opening daystarter in 2011 but performed poorly in his three starts.With its second pick in Saturday's fourth round, Washington tookTexas linebacker Keenan Robinson with a selection obtained in atrade with Pittsburgh. The Redskins are set for starters butthree-time Pro Bowl pick London Fletcher turns 37 in May andLorenzo Alexander is the only experienced backup.The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Robinson, the first Texas player chosenin the draft, was a three-year starter in the Longhorns' 3-4defense. He had 176 tackles, 24 for losses. As a freshman, thePlano, Texas, product was part of an outstanding defense that wasled by his friend Brian Orakpo, then an All-American defensiveend.Orakpo ''said he loves D.C. and I'm sure that I'm going to loveit, too,'' Robinson said.The Redskins, who had drafted SMU guard Josh LeRiebus duringFriday's third round, continued doubling up on positions bychoosing Iowa guard Adam Gettis in the fifth round.Unlike the bulkier LeRiebus, the 6-foot-2, 293-pound Gettisplayed in a zone-blocking system in college similar to the one thatthe Redskins employ. Both rookies are expected to back up centerWill Montgomery and guards Kory Lichtensteiger - who missed thefinal 11 games of last season with a knee injury - and ChrisChester.Washington surprisingly didn't choose a receiver or tight endbut did add running back Alfred Morris out of Florida Atlantic inthe sixth round. Shanahan said he likes the 5-10, 219-pound Morris'running style and ''ability to make people miss.''However with then-rookies Roy Helu and Evan Royster havingcombined to produce five 100-yard games during the final sixcontests of 2011 and with veteran Tim Hightower expected tore-sign, Morris doesn't figure to play much.The Redskins chose a third offensive lineman with their secondsixth-round selection. South Dakota's 6-5, 314-pound Tom Comptonwill compete with holdovers Tyler Polumbus and Willie Smith to bethe backups to left tackle Trent Williams and right tackle JammalBrown.After devoting six of its first seven picks to offense,Washington took SMU cornerback Richard Crawford and Iowa strongsafety Jordan Bernstine with its seventh-round selections.Bernstine was a cornerback until his senior season."