This might be a bit premature on my part, though it's been repeated enough now by credible sources (see: anyone but me) that I feel comfortable calling this rumor D.O.A. Latest blow per Tom Kowalski at Mlive.com which goes far enough to rank the teams most likely to snag the Lions' #2 pick. Everyone has listed us as a suitor (PFT for instance) though it is always caveated by an explanation of why the trade won't happen because the Redskins lack the firepower to pull it off. Mlive, you have the floor:
...it's no secret that several teams -- the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (fourth overall pick), Washington Redskins (sixth), Minnesota Vikings (seventh) and Atlanta Falcons (eighth) -- want to trade up to get their hands on Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson.
Of course, as Tom points out, this all hinges on the Raiders taking JeMarcus Russell, which is by no means a certainty.
Raiders still might want Calvin Johnson as he's just that phenomenal a talent, and a team like
Tampa Bay could still leap frog all of us by moving to the #1 spot to select him.
Anyways, back to Mlive... They rank the four interested parties and, not surprisingly, the Redskins are near the bottom. It goes Tampa Bay > Atlanta > Washington > Minnesota. On Washington:
Washington: The Redskins are going to have trouble making a deal for the same reason they couldn't work out a trade with the Lions for cornerback Dre Bly (now with Denver): they don't have enough ammunition. The Redskins don't have a second-round pick because they dealt it away -- and that's going to cripple their chances of competing with other teams.
The only reason the Redskins aren't below Minnesota is because the Vikings are in the NFC North with the Lions and because
you just never know what sort of crazy shit the Redskins will do. Three day one picks in 2008 (do we have them?) + all our 2007 picks to make the deal happen? Why not!
The truth is the Redskins simply do not have the picks to make a run at CJ and everyone knows it. With this many teams interested and seriously willing to dish out fair compensation for Johnson, the Redskins are at risk of getting outbid -- shocking I know. Hogs Haven says put this one to bed. Wishful thinking on my part? Damn right, though very well supported wishful thinking given the circumstances.
