Head Coach Jim Zorn and Vice President of Football Operations Vinny Cerrato (On The Redskins 34th Overall Draft Selection, Devin Thomas)

Courtesy of the Redskins via MSU On trading down:VC: “We had talked all week long if we could get the two picks from Atlanta, we thought that would be an

Courtesy of the Redskins via MSU

On trading down:
VC: “We had talked all week long if we could get the two picks from Atlanta, we thought that would be an outstanding deal for us. I had talked to them during the week and said that we were a team that would move back and they called back and said ‘Are you still interested in moving back?’ I said, ‘It would take 34 and 48 for us to move back’ and they said, ‘We will call you back.’ So then they called back and said, ‘If our guy is on the clock we will do it.’ We gave up a couple other picks here and there but we wanted 34 and 48. We did that deal. We didn’t know for sure what would be there, but as it worked out basically the same guys that we were considering at 21 were the same guys that were there at 34, minus Phillip Merling (DE, Clemson, drafted 32nd by the Miami Dolphins). We feel very good that the same guys we had a chance to choose at 34 were the same guys that were there at 21.”

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On if they were surprised that Devin Thomas was still there at 34:
VC: “I’m happy he was there at 34.”

JZ: “I think that was the biggest surprise for us. We were thinking, ‘Okay, well we are giving that up to go down and get more choices in the second round,’ and then when he was there even in the second round, we got excited about that.”

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On what they like about Devin Thomas:
JZ: “His speed. His size. I like the fact that he can run after he catches the ball. He averaged 29.1 yards per kickoff return. He had 79 catches in 2007. He is a young player with a lot of upside. He doesn’t have injury problems coming out of college. With Devin it is going to be how well he can pick up the offense, a whole different language, but his athleticism is right there and we just need to develop him.”

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On if they felt there was better value in the later rounds:
VC: “We felt like all along, that we were looking to trade back and that was our number one goal. As things fell off the board, that was what we really wanted to do. We accomplished goal number one, to trade back. We felt this draft would be outstanding in the second and third rounds, so to gather as many picks as we could in those rounds, which we did. We felt like that was a home run. Talking earlier in the week, we said that if we could get the two Atlanta picks that would be the deal. We would have done that deal during the week, because that is where we feel like the talent is in the draft.”

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On if they feel like they can get three starters out of the second round picks:
VC: “We are looking for good football players that have the ability to do that eventually.”

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On if they were surprised that there were so many trades in the first round:
VC: “What happens is people identify somebody they want and that is kind of the way it was. Somebody started rolling and people started moving and all of a sudden you got to where people wanted quarterbacks, then those people started moving. [We] anticipated a lot of movement and when it starts early in the draft then it continues throughout.”

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On if they are nervous that Devin Thomas has basically had one year to develop:
JZ: “I’m not, because guys develop at different times in their lives and I think that is what happened. Probably in spring ball last year, they saw who they really had. He started really coming on in spring ball and they started throwing him the ball and he came through for them in 2007. That is the kind of athlete he was and some guys develop a little bit later than others.”

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On if Devin Thomas had a game that jumped out to them:
VC: “Against Indiana he had a huge game and then the Wisconsin game you see him catch a little bubble pass and he out runs everybody to the side then he breaks it back and he out runs everybody. Any time the ball was thrown to him, we watched all of those plays. I don’t know that there was one game, I think it was just a combination of everything that led up to it because you saw him do so many different [things]. He can make the big plays and catch short. He can play physical.”

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JZ: “What you see on video as well, is he is willing to get off his feet to go get a ball. He can track it in. He also is physical. He doesn’t shy away from contact. He is in there playing a physical ballgame against the competition that he was playing this year. Those are the things that we saw as well that we really liked.”

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On if Devin Thomas satisfies the need for a big receiver:
JZ: “He is 6’2” basically, and he weighs 216. There might be a guy taller, but there is not going to be a guy that big who is faster.”

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On how Head Coach Jim Zorn feels about Devin Thomas being his first draft pick as a head coach:
JZ: “Very excited. It was a need and a really good athlete in an interesting series of events that allowed us to pick a guy like that in the second round. I’m very excited. The whole process was quite interesting to say the least, as clubs are talking to each other. This was my first experience in there really seeing the details of how a trade is being made and how fast, and with the ten minutes between picks everything is very fast and you have to be very succinct. I think Vinny (Cerrato) did a wonderful job just being very clear in how he wanted to work the situation.”