The Washington Redskins have been rumored to be interested in Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota should he fall to them with the fifth overall pick in the draft. Whether that interest is real or just a smokescreen to improve their trade value is anyone's guess. But ESPN Redskins reporter John Keim was asked in his weekly mailbag about it and his answer was pretty interesting.

"Yes, I do see a way they take Marcus Mariota," Keim wrote. "I'm not convinced it will happen and I'm mixed on how he'll fare in the NF< but those who know Scot McCloughan have told me they would not be surprised at all if he picked him. One thing I was told right away is that in the past, McCloughan wanted to give his coach the quarterback he wanted. Also, if you don't believe you have a quality quarterback - I'm talking about all of them - then it's tough to operate. If they all like Mariota, and McCloughan does as well, then it's not a stretch by any means. As for his faith, you're assuming they'd blame Jay Gruden for Robert Griffin III's struggles. The other two quarterbacks didn't change from previous years: Kirk Cousins' issues were the same, plus it was his longest period of action - one of his biggest issues, responding to adversity, is something tough to fix through coaching - and Colt McCoy actually had his best yards per attempt. Gruden was hired to help Griffin and clearly the quarterback had his issues, for a variety of reasons (some his fault, some not). If you give coaches credit for developing guys, you also have to question them when a player isn't developed. I'm with you there. But there's also Gruden's work with Andy Dalton in Cincinnati. There are a lot of Football people in that building who have their doubts about Griffin. Not saying they're without fault and maybe they'll be proven wrong, but just relaying what I hear. Here's another thing: I don't know what McCloughan really thinks of Gruden and what level of faith he has in him. Ultimately, if Gruden doesn't get the job done, if he fails with another quarterback, it'll cost him - and McCloughan will find someone in whom he has that faith."

Wow. That was a mouthful.

What Keim didn't mention is that the front office combo that surrendered a king's ransom for the right to draft Griffin - owner Dan Snyder and President Bruce Allen - is still very much in place. They desperately want to see Griffin succeed and would likely be willing to give him another year to prove himself.

If Mariota is available at No. 5, Washington may accept a generous trade offer to move down and accumulate more picks. Although McCloughan has done a good job of addressing defensive needs this offseason, the team still has a litany of needs along the in the secondary and along the offensive line. Having more draft capital to address those areas of weakness in his first year on the job would seem, on the surface, to be the preferred route.

The NFL Draft will begin on April 30.

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