The NFL Draft will have a different feel for the Washington Redskins this year. For the first time in years, they’re not looking to find an answer at quarterback, but instead are looking to plug holes and add to the team’s depth.

Here are a few thoughts on the Redskins draft just before the festivities begin:

1. The Redskins have needs outside of the defensive secondary, and they’re on offense.  Yes, the biggest need for the Redskins as they enter this draft is to acquire a defensive back (or two) that can come in and make a difference right away. They’re searching for a free safety that can start and a cornerback that can, at the very least, contribute in nickel packages.

But while upgrading the defense seems to be the clear-cut way to go, the team could still use some help on the other side of the ball. Sure,  the offense has plenty going for it as it is. They finished the season ranked fifth in yards, fourth in points, and tops in rushing. They have a quarterback in Robert Griffin III that, when healthy, is as dynamic a player as any in the league. The team’s surrounded him with solid offensive talent, but the case can be made that there’s still room for improvement.

Wide receiver, for instance, is a prime example of a position group of relative strength that could still use an upgrade. The Redskins have good group of outside receivers who can excel after the catch, but they’re missing the shifty, make-you-miss receiver that can create mismatches in the slot. Santana Moss filled that role admirably last season, but at 34, you’d have to imagine that the team is looking to groom a future successor at that spot.

Lingering health issues could be another factor for the Redskins when thinking about bolstering the receiving corps. Pierre Garcon, who played most of last season with a foot injury, admitted recently that he’s still not at full strength. Garcon’s impact on the offense and the team is pretty easy to explain; the Redskins were 9-2 last year with him in the lineup, and 1-5 without. Add in the fact that Joshua Morgan is coming off multiple surgeries to repair ankle and hand injuries, and it’s easy to see why adding another playmaking wideout would be a solid plan.

The same could be said about adding another running back. Alfred Morris was a workhorse last year, rushing for a franchise-record 1613 yards to go along with 13 rushing touchdowns as a rookie. But as productive as he was, the Redskins lacked a speedy, change-of-pace back that could provide more of a homerun threat in both the run and pass game. Roy Helu could theoretically be that guy, but he’s still recovering from achilles tendon surgery he had earlier in the offseason, leaving his status for OTAs and minicamp in doubt. If a scatback is available in the later rounds, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Redskins go in that direction.

You can never have enough speed on offense, and if the Redskins can find explosive playmakers, it’d be hard to fault them for doing so.

2. How much trade action could be in play for the Redskins in this draft? In each of the three drafts since Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen have been in charge of the Redskins football operation, the team has been pretty active making trades. It’ll be interesting to see if the same holds true this time around, in a year in which the Redskins have all their picks outside of their first rounder.

One thing that’s been hammered home throughout this entire draft process is the common belief that this class has great depth between the second and fourth rounds. If true, that’s great news for the Redskins, who have no choice but to find impact players in the middle part of the draft. The question will be if they’re content standing pat with the picks they have, or if they want to do some maneuvering in the middle rounds to get as much talent and value as possible.

It’s unclear at this point what it would take for the Redskins to acquire another second, third or fourth round pick. They don’t have many tradable assets in terms of players that they’re willing to part with, but they do have an extra fifth rounder this year and could conceivably dip into the 2014 draft if they truly covet someone.

3. Just because the Redskins select a player you don’t know about, doesn’t mean they can’t help.  This time last year, Redskins fans knew plenty about their soon-to-be quarterback in Griffin, as well as many of the other top players in the draft. But what about a guy like the aforementioned Morris? Or Josh LeRibeus? Keenan Robinson? Richard Crawford?  Those weren’t exactly household names in the months leading up to the draft, but each player wound up finding a role on the team and contributed in some form or fashion once the season started.

NFL draft experts have done a great job helping fans and media to identify the top college prospects, the potential “sleepers”, as well as the potential busts. However, the Redskins — or any other team, for that matter — won’t always share the exact same opinion on players as the Mel Kiper’s and Mike Mayock’s of the world.  With the year-round work that NFL scouts put into the draft process, there will always be players that teams love that may not be shooting up mock draft boards.

In other words, if the Redskins wind up selecting players you aren’t familiar with, or take players at a different position than what you had hoped for, it’d be best not to panic before you see them play.