Leonard Hankerson calls himself best wide receiver in draft

If Leonard Hankerson is right – or even close to being right – the Washington Redskins got one hell of a deal.

The Redskins, who have had an acute need for wide receivers for a few years now, selected Hankerson in the third round Friday night, No. 79 overall.

The Miami product was the ninth receiver chosen in the draft and he ranks himself right up there at the top. The very top.

“I know I’m better than each one of those guys that was drafted before me,” Hankerson told The Sports Junkies this morning on 106.7 The Fan, according to Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post. “Hey, it’s over with now. I’m a Washington Redskin. I can’t do anything about it. Only thing that matters is what I do after the draft, so I’m looking forward to getting on the field with my new teammates, getting to meet my coaches and just having fun with them and proving (it) to everyone.”

Better than Julio Jones, who went sixth overall to the Atlanta Falcons after a blockbuster trade?

“Of course, I wouldn’t say anything differently,” Hankerson said. “Of course I think that. I feel I’m the best receiver in the draft, I feel like I can make plays, i can do everything the other players do. I feel like I can block, run routes, go up and get the ball. I make plays. I broke every single season record this year. I feel like I can do it all.”

Mike Shanahan got a pretty good wide receiver in the fourth round a few years back – Brandon Marshall. Maybe he can make things happen with Hankerson.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune