THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ASHBURN, Va. -- Think the Washington Redskins are a franchise quarterback away from becoming a great team? Then mortgage the future to move up and take Mark Sanchez on Saturday in the first round of the NFL draft.

Think the Redskins have serious holes to fill and are aging in several critical areas? Then live with Jason Campbell for at least another year and use the draft to add a weakside linebacker, a defensive end and an offensive lineman or two.

Owner Dan Snyder, front office chief Vinny Cerrato and coach Jim Zorn wore their best poker faces at their annual draft preview meeting with reporters this week, but Snyder has always been the we're-close-to-winning type. Campbell had only five touchdown passes and six interceptions during the second half of last season when the Redskins swooned from 6-2 to 8-8, and the owner has already tried and failed this off-season to land Jay Cutler from Denver.

"Obviously we were disappointed with some of our late-season games last year," Snyder said. "We got close, as everyone knows, we got beaten up in terms of injuries, but that's no excuse. I think we're positioned pretty well to improve."

"We're doing what we can to win," the owner added. "I'm always going to be aggressive to try to win. I didn't buy the team for investment. I bought the team to try to win the Super Bowl, and that's what I'm trying to do."

But does his grand scheme include doing whatever it takes to get Sanchez from Southern Cal? If so, it would be quite a gamble.

The Redskins have the No. 13 overall pick Saturday and have already traded away picks in the second, fourth and seventh rounds. To guarantee a shot at Sanchez, they might have to vault as high as No. 3, a trade that would likely cost them the No. 13 selection, their third-round pick and next year's first-rounder.

"I think anything is possible," executive vice-president for football operations Cerrato said. "It's just what you're willing to give up."

Such a move would net Sanchez and little else from the weekend, leaving serious questions for even the die-hard fan. Who would replace departed and oft-injured linebacker Marcus Washington on the weak side? Can a rotation of 36-year-old Phillip Daniels and 34-year-old Renaldo Wynn hold down the left defensive end spot? Can battered 30-something offensive linemen Jon Jansen and Randy Thomas make it through the year without another significant injury?

Snyder showed his hand to some degree when he was outbid -- barely -- by Chicago in an attempt to get Cutler from the Broncos. The owner then had to have a clear-the-air session with Campbell to reassure the quarterback that management really does think he can do the job.

The Redskins then welcomed, entertained and watched film with Sanchez for two days last week, while simultaneously making nice with former first-round pick Campbell.

"With Jason, we are going full speed," Zorn said. "He is every bit being handled as though he's our starting quarterback, both through word and deed. With the draft, part of knowing who's out there and what's available, we've got to get to know these players a little bit. And if there's any opportunities to better our football team, we want to talk to those guys, too. Nothing is etched in stone."

Snyder has tried doggedly to land a franchise signal-caller since buying the team in 1999, drafting seven quarterbacks over nine years. First-rounder Patrick Ramsey (2002) made only 24 starts over four seasons, and Campbell (2005) just completed his first full season as the starter.

Lower-round selections Todd Husak (2000), Sage Rosenfels (2001), Gibran Hamdan (2003) and Jordan Palmer (2007) failed to establish themselves even as backups. Colt Brennan (2008) spent his first season playing third string. Not since Mark Rypien in the early 1990s have the Redskins had a quarterback who kept the undisputed starting job continuously for more than a couple of seasons.

Of course, the Sanchez talk could be an interesting diversion and nothing else. Asked if he enjoys putting up smoke screens in the days before the draft, Cerrato said: "There's enough people doing that themselves. If you tell the truth, nobody believes you."

The Redskins drafted 10 players last year; this year they enter the weekend with only five picks. Compounding the sting is the fact that the three players acquired for the traded selections -- Jason Taylor (second round), Pete Kendall (fourth) and Erasmus James (seventh) -- are no longer with the team.

Will there be more wheeling and dealing on Saturday? Stay tuned.

"There's a possibility we'll do three things on Saturday: trade up, trade back or stay the same," Cerrato said. "So I hope that helps."