2015 NFL Mock Draft: Redskins Trade Back and Select T.J. Clemmings

In this mock draft, I have built in a trade-back scenario for the Washington Redskins with the Cleveland Browns. The Browns hold two first round picks this year, and I have them moving up to the fifth spot to fill a much needed hole at wide receiver, while at the same time netting the best available player(Cooper). Josh Gordon is a great talent, but he can't keep himself clean, so the Browns are forced to move on without him in their future plans.

Update: Read our 2015 NFL Draft rankings by position.

The Redskins benefit by moving back to the 12th overall spot, while adding a 2nd this year, and a 2nd in 2015. It's a win/win for both teams.

As usual, Ken selected for the Redskins at pick 12(and pick 43), while I handled the Redskins original 2nd round pick at #38. As a bonus for you, Ken and I decided to mock up to the Redskins second picks in round two. Enjoy!

Round 1

1)Tampa Bay Buccaneers  - Marcus Mariota(QB - Oregon)

2)Tennessee Titans - Jameis Winston(QB - Florida St.)

3)Jacksonville Jaguars - Randy Gregory(OLB/DE - Nebraska)

4)Oakland Raiders - Leonard Williams(DT - USC)

5)Cleveland Browns(From Redskins) - Amari Cooper(WR - Alabama)

6)New York Jets - Shane Ray(OLB - Missouri)

7)Chicago Bears - Dante Fowler(OLB/DE - Florida)

8)Atlanta Falcons - Landon Collins(S - Alabama)

9)New York Giants - Andrus Peat(OT - Stanford)

10)St. Louis Rams - Brandon Scherff(T/G - Iowa)

11)Monnesota Vikings - La'el Collins(T/G - LSU)

12)Washington Redskins(From Browns) - T.J. Clemmings(OT - Pitt)

- (KEN) - I have to tell you guys…Danny Shelton is sitting there and I came so very close to taking him with the 12^th overall pick in this draft. I think it would not only be a great place for Shelton value-wise (as I have him going between picks 10-15), but the senior defensive tackle out of Washington also seems to be pegged as a rather safe pick here. Luckily for the Redskins, the 12^th overall pick in the first round is also going to be a great place to shop for offensive tackles! If this trade were to occur on draft day, I would pray for Andrus Peat to drop to us, but he is gone. Still, the prospect of taking the best OT on the board and still being able to add two above average prospects at the top of the second round makes this trade kind of a dream scenario.

At this very moment, there is a spirited debate in the Washington war room over whether TJ Clemmings or Ereck Flowers will be the selection. Both of these players would be upgrades on the right side for the Redskins next season. It says here that McLovin’ will lean toward the product out of Pittsburgh, based on his raw athleticism and his power run blocking abilities, which will have earned him Bill Callahan’s vote. Based on what I have read (and I don’t pretend to be an expert on this), it also seems like Clemmings has the most left tackle potential, which is crucial to me as we build this line. That kind of flexibility should serve us well over the life of TJ’s rookie contract.

13)New Orleans Saints - Trae Waynes(CB - Michigan St.)

14)Miami Dolphins - Danny Shelton(DT - Washington)

15)San Francisco 49ers - Devante Parker(WR - Louisville)

16)Houston Texans - Shaq Thompson(LB - Washington)

17)San Diego Chargers - Ereck Flowers(OT - Miami)

18)Kansas City Chiefs - Kevin White(WR - West Virginia)

19)Cleveland Browns - Vic Beasley(OLB - Clemson)

20)Philadelphia Eagles - Marcus Peters(CB - Washington)

21)Cincinnati Bengals - Eddie Goldman(DT - Florida St.)

22)Pittsburgh Steelers - Alvin Dupree(OLB - Kentucky)

23)Detroit Lions - Malcom Brown(DT - Texas)

24)Arizona Cardinals - Cameron Erving(C/OT - Florida St.)

25)Carolina Panthers - Melvin Gordon(RB - Wisconsin)

26)Baltimore Ravens - Maxx Williams(TE - Minnesota)

27)Dallas Cowboys - Arik Armstead(DE - Oregon)

28)Denver Broncos - Ty Sambrailo(OT - Colorado St.)

29)Indianapolis Colts - Denzel Perryman(LB - Miami)

30)Green Bay Packers - Benardrick McKinney(LB - Miss St.)

31)New England Patriots - Carl Davis(DT - Iowa)

32)Seattle Seahawks - Laken Tomlinson(G - Duke)

Round 2:

33)Tennessee Titans - Jaelen Strong(WR - Arizona St.)

34)Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Jeremiah Poutasi(OT - Utah)

35)Oakland Raiders - Dorial Green-Beckham(WR - Oklahoma)

36)Jacksonville Jaguars - Arie Kouandjio(G - Alabama)

37)New York Jets - Devin Funchess(WR/TE - Michigan)

38)Washington Redskins - Eli Harold(OLB - Virginia)

- (Mark) - The Redskins need help all over the defense, and with Joe Barry as the new defensive coordinator, and the aggressive scheme he likes to employ, Harold would be a nice toy for him to use to pressure opposing quarterbacks. Harold needs a little work against the run, but he's a missile off the snap, and his athleticism and upside will be hard to ignore at this spot in the second round. 38th, not 5th is a spot I don't have a problem picking a rush OLB who lacks a complete game.

39)Chicago Bears - P.J. Williams(CB - Florida St.)

40)New York Giants - Jordan Phillips(DT - Oklahoma)

41)St. Louis Rams - Alex Carter(CB - Stanford)

42)Atlanta Falcons - Trey Flowers(DE - Arkansas)

43)Washington Redskins(From Browns) - Cody Prewitt(S - Ole Miss)

- (KEN) - After nabbing a big-bodied pass rusher at the top of the second round, the Redskins have addressed two major areas of need with talented prospects, opening the door for the team to make a luxury pick with the extra second rounder they acquired by  trading down with Cleveland. That would be a colossal mistake. Even if both Clemmings and Harold start for the Redskins on day one, there are still other starting jobs available that can be filled with this pick.

That can't be said for every NFL team out there, but the Redskins have such a talent deficit that they can't afford to use an extra pick like this on anything but a player they feel can start for them next season. As much as I want to take A.J. Cann, who some outlets have rated as the #1 guard in this draft, I feel like that would be a borderline luxury pick. I think he could start for us on day one, but Clemmings' addition does just enough to shuffle the deck on the offensive line to already give us a spirited competition this summer at the guard spot. We need talent on defense if we are going to have a chance, and we need to get some of that talent right here.

In the war room, it has come down to a decision between two players: Michael Bennett, the defensive tackle out of Ohio State and Cody Prewitt, the safety out of Ole Miss. Had P.J. Williams fell to me here, I would have been all over him, which tells me I am feeling the pull to bolster our secondary. I have a hard time believing Prewitt, who is widely considered to be the #1-rated free safety prospect in this draft, won't be able to challenge for a starting spot right away.

(By the way, if you want a crazy, "they would never" prediction on this pick, consider Brett Hundley, the quarterback out of UCLA. It would set off a bomb around here, but Hundley would be the kind of luxury pick I spoke of above. Speaking of quarterbacks, put me down for a mid-round flier on Garrett Grayson.)