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It’s draft day, and the show must go on, and this year’s NFL draft will be unlike any we’ve seen. The Redskins still have 7 draft picks after all of the moves over the last month. This includes the #2 overall pick which everyone expects them to use on Ohio State DE Chase Young. The Tua Tagovailoa hype is over, but we do have one trade holdover.
Chase Young, DE, Ohio State
Mr. Young is aptly named. He is going to chase NFL quarterbacks for the next decade-plus.
Round 3: Matt Peart, OT, Connecticut
Round 4: Bryan Edwards, WR, South Carolina
Parnell Motley, CB, Oklahoma
Round 5: Stephen Sullivan, TE, LSU
Round 7: Chris Williamson, S, Minnesota
Sean Adesanya, EDGE, Central Michigan
I’ve tapped out on writing about Chase Young as the potential second overall pick. Seriously, I’m out. I know the “Groundhog Day” analogy gets used often in our new coronavirus normal, but there’s some element of that happening here. What’s left to say about the consensus top player in the 2020 class who set the Ohio State single-season record with 16.5 sacks last season and would join a Washington front-7 armed with recent first-round picks?
Round 3: Chase Claypool, WR, Notre Dame:
In the previous mock draft, I made the case that following my conference call mind-meld with Ron Rivera, I determined signs pointed to Washington snagging whichever second-round graded receiver slipped out or rather it goes another route at 66 besides tight end. That meant Claypool, a playmaking target with red-zone size and a possible tight end role in his future. Whether it’s Claypool, USC’s Michael Pittman or Penn State’s K.J. Hamler, the logic remains. Not that the Redskins added major tight end help in the offseason, but at least Logan Thomas can contribute. We’ll see about Richard Rodgers coming off two injury-ravaged seasons. Only Cody Latimer joined the wide receiver room and there’s no guarantee he makes the 53-man roster. Take the talent and move on.
Round 4: Josiah Scott, CB, Michigan State:
It sure feels like Washington upgraded its cornerback unit this offseason with the Kendall Fuller reunion and the low-risk Ronald Darby signing. Quinton Dunbar is gone and there’s shaky depth at the position plus future questions with Darby and Fabian Moreau being 2021 free agents.
Enter Scott, a 5-9 dynamo with 4.42 speed who selected a Big Ten honorable mention last season.
Round 4: Devin Asiasi, TE, UCLA:
Part of my rationale for targeting a wide receiver at 66, or rather skipping tight end, involves possibly landing Asiasi, Vanderbilt’s Jared Pinkney, or Stanford’s Colby Parkinson in later rounds.
In January, one scout told The Athletic that Asiasi would move up in the tight end class. Now Brugler ranks the 6-3, 257-pounder fifth among his positional peers. Washington needs more TE help for 2020, but mostly there’s a long-term issue.
Round 5: J.R. Reed, S, Georgia:
Similar to the cornerback discussion earlier, the Redskins swapped out their 2019 free safety starter for a new model, but Sean Davis only signed a one-year contract. Troy Apke, a 2018 fourth-round pick, remains more enigma than established while Deshazor Everett’s value lies primarily on special teams. We know Landon Collins isn’t going anywhere. All these other names could be elsewhere after this season.
Reed, the son of former Vikings receiver Jake Reed, started three seasons for the Bulldogs and remains a member of my Redskins-only mock draft.
Round 7: David Woodward, ILB, Utah State:
Whether it’s laziness or I’m smitten with this tackling dynamo, but I keep landing on the 2018 third-team All-American in this spot. Woodward takes down ball-carriers (averaged nearly 12 tackles per game over his last two seasons) with force and regularity. Injuries dropped him down the rankings. Woodward suffered a cracked vertebra in high school and dealt with a concussion last season. Considering Washington’s linebacker unit includes many random parts, there’s no harm in adding one more.
Round 7: Colton McKivitz, OT, West Virginia:
Guess adding at least one OL over seven rounds won’t hurt anyone. The 6-6, 306-pound lineman received second-team All-American honors last season at left tackle, but Brugler projects the four-year starting tackle for the Mountaineers moving inside. For all the tackle talk, Washington’s guard depth beyond Brandon Scherff warrants attention.
I’ve had the Redskins trading down for the past several updates, but I’ve moved them back to the No. 2 overall pick in the wake of some news Charlie Campbell broke from the Combine. In a recent NFL Hot Press, Charlie wrote that the Redskins are unlikely to trade the No. 2 overall pick.
With that in mind, it’s obvious that the Redskins will select Chase Young. The dynamic edge rusher enjoyed a breakout season in the wake of Nick Bosa’s injury in 2018, and was very dominant this past year. He’s a very athletic edge player with great size (6-5, 265), and it will take a miracle for the Redskins to pass on him at No. 2 overall.
*** OTHER 2020 NFL DRAFT POSSIBILITIES: ***
1. Trade Down - The Redskins love Young enough that they don’t want to trade down. But if some team were to offer them three first-round picks, perhaps they’d change their minds.
Round 3: Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame
The Redskins need a tight end, especially in the wake of Vernon Davis’ retirement. Cole Kmet would be a nice weapon for Dwayne Haskins.
Round 4: Alex Taylor, OT, South Carolina
The Redskins will likely trade Trent Williams, so they’ll need a new left tackle.
Round 4: Stephen Guidry, WR, Mississippi State
The Redskins have two promising receivers in Terry McLaurin and Steven Sims Jr., but they need one more talented player at the position.
Stephen Guidry has great size (6-4, 190) and nice upside.
Round 5: Essang Bassey, CB, Wake Forest
The Redskins traded Quinton Dunbar for nothing, so they should probably make sure they get a replacement at some point.
Round 7: Kamal Martin, LB, Minnesota
I could see the Redskins adding multiple linebackers in the 2020 NFL Draft, given the weakness at the position.
Round 7: Jeremiah Dinson, S, Auburn
The Redskins could stand to continue adding depth to their troubled secondary.
The Redskins take the best player in the 2020 NFL Draft and could form a legendary defensive line with Young, Jonathan Allen, Da’Ron Payne and Montez Sweat. The problem will be retaining them all, but Washington could look to deal with that a few years from now.
Young (6-5, 264) dominated a lot of the opponents Ohio State played in 2019 and missed two games with a suspension. He has some size to him to go along with speed and athleticism off the edge. With his superb first-step, pass-rushing moves, agility, and ability to close, Young looks like a future Pro Bowler who annually produces double-digit sacks. In 2019, Young had 16.5 sacks with 46 tackles, six forced fumbles, three passes batted and a blocked kick. With the way that Young dominated in 2019, he is the top prospect for the 2020 NFL Draft regardless of position.
With Nick Bosa injured for most of 2018, Young took advantage of the opportunity to have a breakout season. In 2018, he recorded 34 tackles with 15.5 tackles for a loss, 10.5 sacks, five passes broken up and two forced fumbles. As a freshman, he totaled 19 tackles with 3.5 sacks and one forced fumble.
Round 3: Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Colorado
The Redskins grab a potential No. 1 receiver and a weapon for Dwayne Haskins.
Shenault totaled 56 receptions for 764 yards and four touchdowns in 2019. He was one of the top wide receivers of 2018, totaling 86 receptions for 1,011 yards with six touchdowns. The 6-foot-1, 227-pounder was the No. 1 receiver for Steven Montez and made the Buffaloes quarterback look good at times.
Shenault is a dangerous run-after-the-catch receiver who is a physical runner and has quickness in the open field. He is a very tough player, illustrating that by being the short-yardage back for the Buffaloes, notching five rushing touchdowns in 2018. In the 2020 NFL Draft, Shenault has the potential to slide because of medical concerns and not interviewing well at the combine.
Round 4: Alex Taylor, OT, South Carolina
The Redskins need more offensive tackle cornerback talent and a replacement for Trent Williams.
Round 4: Stephen Guidry, WR, Mississippi State
The Redskins grab some wide receiver competition.
Round 5: Essang Bassey, CB, Wake Forest
The Redskins add more cornerback depth.
Round 7: Mykal Walker, OLB, Fresno State
It would make sense to take some linebacker depth for the Redskins given the age of Thomas Davis and the turbulent status of Reuben Foster.
Round 7: Jeremiah Dinson, S, Auburn Washington has shown interest in Dinson and could use some safety depth.
There has been pressure to overthink this selection, but the Washington Redskins will sit tight and select the best overall prospect in the class in Ohio State’s Chase Young.
While his position is not the biggest need on the roster, Young would give Washington a dynamic pass-rusher who can turn a strength into a point of domination when joining Montez Sweat, Ryan Kerrigan, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen and Matt Ioannidis.
Don’t expect Washington to select a quarterback this year, either. Not after keeping Dwayne Haskins and adding Kyle Allen as his understudy and a potential replacement if needed.
Round 3: Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State
Round 4: Saahdiq Charles, OT LSU
Round 4: Jared Pinkney, TE Vanderbilt
Round 5: Joshua Kelley, RB, UCLA
Round 7: Cale Garrett, LB, Missouri
Round 7: Jordan Fuller, S, Ohio State
Urban Meyer went on the REDSKINSTALK Podcast this past week and said all you need to know about the second pick; ”God put together that guy...He said, ‘I’m going to make one of the best defensive ends to ever play college football.’ I think he’s going to carry on in the NFL. He’s got it all.” Who is Meyer —who coached both Bosa brothers— speaking about? The newest EDGE Player for the Washington Redskins: The Predator, Chase Young. While Chase Young did not grow up rooting for the Redskins, he recently said it would be an honor to play in front of his hometown. With everyone officially on board, Chase comes home to play in front of his family and friends, and Ron Rivera has his first stamp on the franchise.
Round 3: Hunter Bryant, TE, Washington
Round 4: Hakeem Adeniji, OT, Kansas
Round 4: Van Jefferson, WR, Florida
Round 5: Luq Barcoo, CB, San Diego State
Round 7: Francis Bernard, LB, Utah State
Round 7:, Michael Divinity, Jr., LB, LSU
Ron Rivera said Washington has talked to teams about trades for this pick, but I’m not buying that being serious. Rivera is a defensive coach, and he can’t pass up Young, the best overall prospect in this class and an elite edge rusher.
I’m sure the Redskins will have plenty of offers, but they simply can’t pass on an opportunity to get the best player in the draft.
The best edge rusher and arguably the best player in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Redskins represent the one team that can’t trade down in this draft. With the opportunity to select a generational talent at edge rusher or a supremely talented QB (if they’re convinced Dwayne Haskins isn’t the answer), how could you not stick and pick, especially considering these two options represent the two most valuable positions in football. Conventional wisdom prevails here, and Washington takes Chase Young.
One of the defensive ends I have scouted, Young is the best player in the draft and a perfect fit in Ron Rivera’s 4-3 defense.
The Redskins will continue listening to trade offers, but it is very unlikely they receive a compensation package to move from this spot. And if they stay put, Young is the pick.
The optics of passing on someone like Chase Young — who looks every bit a Hall of Fame-type prospect — would make it hard for the Skins to trade this pick away. Being “the general manager who passed on Young” isn’t the way Doug Williams wants to start his tenure, even if Young won’t fix their problems overnight.
So after the national anthem and some (my best guess) canned booing of home-bound Roger Goodell live from his basement in New York, expect 20 minutes of zero drama. As much as Washington tried to create a market for the second pick in the draft, Tua Tagovailoa’s hip and the signing of Kyle Allen ruined that. Washington shan’t overthink. Building the NFC’s best pass-rush east of Santa Clara (Young, Montez Sweat and maybe vet Ryan Kerrigan) is the way to go for a team that needs to win back a royally ticked-off fan base.
No matter what, Chase Young. Right?
Young is a transcendent talent, he is an absolute monster off the edge indicative of his school-record 16.5 sacks. Young is a game wrecker that has the potential to be in the same class as the Von Millers and Khalil Macks of the world.
Chase Young and last year’s first-rounder Montez Sweat should strike fear in opponents coming off the edge for years to come.
This year’s premier pass rusher completes Redskins underrated defensive front.
Washington ignores trade offers and selects the draft’s best player regardless of position.
New head coach Ron Rivera hasn’t had a chance to meet most of his players but he knows his team could still benefit greatly from having a pass rusher like Young up front. It’s not often you can say Washington picked the best player in the draft but you can this year.
As they should, the Redskins are making a final effort to drum up interest in this pick for a trade back. But ultimately, I doubt they get blown away with an offer.
Chase Young is the best player in this draft class and the Redskins have needs up and down the roster. It’s certainly reasonable to entertain trade-down scenarios, but just to be clear: DO NOT DRAFT A QB HERE.
Round 3: K.J. Hamler, WR, Penn State
If the Redskins are building around Dwayne Haskins, they’ll need to get him more weapons, and Hamler is the definition of that.
Also no surprise at No. 2, as Washington is unable to get the right deal to move down and pass on the chance to add the draft’s best defensive player.
You can’t let great pass rushers pass you by in a draft. The Redskins won’t. Young would be a nice addition to Jack Del Rio’s front seven.
Ultimately I think if Washington is trading this pick, they’ll do it before the draft. If that happens, you’re getting a mulligan on my final mock draft. I don’t think anyone will pay the price they want to move down, so they stay here and take a stud in Chase Young.
When is the last time we’ve known for so long who the first two picks of the draft would be? It was probably 2010, the last year before the NFL introduced a rookie wage scale. That draft ended up seeing quarterback Sam Bradford go first and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh second. Will the careers of these two follow a similar trajectory? We’ll see.
Assuming the Redskins do not get a can’t-refuse offer to trade back, they should jump at the chance to get this cornerstone talent for the team’s defensive rebuild under defensive-minded Ron Rivera. Young (6-5, 264 pounds) is a game-changing disruptor who had 16.5 sacks in only 12 games as a junior. He can produce at an all-around level even higher than that of Nick Bosa, who went No. 2 from the Buckeyes to the 49ers and promptly dominated as SN’s Rookie of the Year.
Round 3: Hunter Bryant, TE, Washington
The Redskins need tight end help with the Vernon Davis-Jordan Reed combination to help their young quarterbacks. Bryant (6-2, 248 pounds) is a dynamic athlete who can get down the seam and cause coverage problems because of his good hands, toughness and quickness finishing routes.
Much like the Bengals, Washington is likely to listen to any potential offers for this pick, but it’ll have to be a sweet deal to get them to give up the best player in the entire draft. Young is a dominant edge rusher with Hall of Fame potential, and while the Redskins have bigger needs elsewhere, Young’s talent and upside trumps all.
Round 3: Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State
Round 4: Yasir Durant, OT, Missouri
Round 4: Adam Trautman, TE, Dayton
Pro Football Network(Allbright)
Two-year starter who earned first-team All-America honors, led the nation with 16.5 sacks and made 46 tackles (21 for loss), forced six fumbles, and broke up three passes as a junior in 2019. Named second-team All-Big Ten and made 33 tackles (14.5 for loss) with 9.5 sacks, and five pass breakups as a sophomore. Suspended two games for a violation of NCAA rules in 2019 as a result of a loan he took from a family friend who was an agent.
Unless someone blows the Redskins away with a package of picks similar to the one Washington gave away to move up and select RGIII, “the Predator” will be a Redskin.
Young is an explosive athlete who showed terrific development as a pass rusher the past two years. He offers rare quickness and explosiveness and the ability to make plays in every direction of the field if focused on the task at hand, Young should develop into a complete player as he physically matures and adds strength to his frame.
The Falcons reportedly called about this selection. Ron Rivera is defense to his core. With top picks and big money in Da’Ron Payne, Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen, Ryan Anderson and Landon Collins among others… this better be a 49ers type defensive impact.
Building upon his end-of-season momentum as a true sophomore (when he had six sacks over the final four games), Young broke Ohio State’s single-season sack record with 16.5 in 2019. While the elite-level production matches his high-end traits, Young’s impact goes beyond the box score as the disruptive edge defender will create plenty of one-on-one opportunities for Montez Sweat and his Washington teammates as opposing offensive coordinators game plan for Young.
If the Redskins had more opportunity to investigate Tua Tagovailoa‘s injury and meet with him, I believe that he was a real possibility for them at No. 2 overall. But knowing that Ron Rivera hasn’t had a chance to work with Dwayne Haskins long, and that he’s a defensive-minded coach with a need at edge rusher, Young makes too much sense.
Round 3: Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Colorado
Prospects dealing with injuries are going to fall further than most expect, and Shenault is one of them. He did participate in the Combine 40-yard-dash despite a core muscle injury and it wasn’t great for his stock, but many realize he’s a playmaker with tremendous upside. This is the area I’d expect a team to take the leap.
Trade!
Redskins receive: 5, 18, 39
Dolphins receive: 2
This is the only trade I’ll allow because it’s the only trade worth making as GM of both teams. The Redskins will maximize the value of their No. 2 overall pick by bringing in three extra potential starters, while the Dolphins properly use their extra draft capital to pick their quarterback.
Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia
While Washington traded down and passed up on Young, they may come out of the draft with three or more starters — and that’s a win from a team-building standpoint. Thomas is the top offensive tackle on our board, and he can step in at left tackle after a presumed trade of Trent Williams. Thomas is the best combination of pass- and run-blocker in the draft, as he is the only tackle in the class to rank in the top three in both departments last season (89.0 pass-blocking grade, 91.4 run-blocking grade).
Poll
What should the Redskins do with the #2 pick?
This poll is closed
-
14%
Trade down!
(42 votes) -
83%
Chase Young
(251 votes) -
1%
Tua Tagovailoa
(4 votes) -
0%
Draft someone else
(2 votes)