Robert Griffin III was all smiles Thursday night, befitting the second player taken in the NFL draft. But backstage at Radio City Music Hall, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback said his night could have been even better.
Griffin told ProFootballTalk.com the Redskins informed him that if they, and not the Indianapolis Colts held the No. 1 pick, they still would have taken him.
"They said if Indianapolis would have traded with them and kept Peyton Manning, that they would have drafted me with the No. 1 overall pick," Griffin said. "So it's not a shot at anybody, it's just that they're the team that wanted me and they showed it in late February, and I'm glad to be part of the team."
The Colts kept the No. 1 pick, or course, and drafted Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.
Griffin said he looks forward to the challenge of taking the reins in D.C.
"I'm going to go in, try to just show the guys that they can trust me instead of trying to be the most vocal guy out there," he said. "I am a rookie, and I realize that there are veterans out there who you have to respect, and I do respect them."
