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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 many people expect them to use on Ohio State DE Chase Young. The Tua Tagovailoa hype is still there for some reason.
We’ve seen plenty of trade scenarios for the Redskins in the first round. Most of them have Washington trading down with the Miami Dolphins and getting a top defender like Jeffrey Okudah or Isaiah Simmons. In today’s roundup we have a 3 way trade that allows the Redskins to trade down, pick up an additional 1st round pick, and still get Chase Young!
We’re a little over 2 weeks from the NFL draft that is still scheduled to happen April 23-25. A lot can change between now and then. What happens with the Redskins 1st round pick this year?
Trade!
Let’s get a little crazy. A three-way trade in the NFL is almost unheard of, but this is a deal that makes sense for all parties involved. Essentially, the Miami Dolphins will move from No. 5 overall to No. 2, and they’ll give up picks No. 5, No. 18, and No. 39 to do so (fair deal to select a quarterback). The Redskins will pick up those picks, at least for a moment, until they realize the Lions are willing to trade down from No. 3 to No. 5 while picking up that No. 39 overall pick in the process. The Redskins are still able to get their guy in Chase Young, while the Lions are gambling that Jeffrey Okudah will still be there at No. 5 and pick up another potential starter at No. 39. Here’s how it all shakes out:
Miami Dolphins receive: No. 2 (from WAS)
Washington Redskins receive: No. 3 (from DET), No. 18 (from MIA)
Detroit Lions receive: No. 5 (from MIA), No. 39 (from MIA)
#3: Chase Young, DE, Ohio State
The gamble pays off for the Redskins, who essentially move down one spot to secure Young while adding another first-rounder along the way. Young is the best pass-rusher in the draft, dominant off the edge and capable of moving around the defensive line to create havoc for opposing offenses. His 96.1 overall grade is the highest from an edge defender since 2014, and it included an impressive 56 pressures — 18 of which were sacks — on just 320 rushes last season. Washington continues to load up on defensive linemen, and if this scenario plays out, they add another top-20 talent in what could make them the biggest winners in the draft.
#18: Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
The winners of the first round become the Washington Redskins, who parlayed the extra first-round pick they got from Miami to drop down and still draft Chase Young into Denzel Mims, a player whose stock has been skyrocketing in the pre-draft process. Mims can be a legit star at receiver, and the Redskins get to pair him with Terry McLaurin and give Dwayne Haskins more than one quality receiving option, a far better decision than chasing his replacement at quarterback.
#5: Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State
The Redskins need help at cornerback. Josh Norman is no longer there and Quinton Dunbar has been traded, so they will have a great opportunity to select this future defensive star in the secondary at No. 5 overall.
#26: Josh Jones, OT, Houston
With Trent Williams likely on his way out, the Redskins need a new left tackle. Like Williams, Jones is athletic and has a high motor, so this pick makes a lot of sense after acquiring it in the Dolphins’ trade up for No. 2 earlier in this mock draft.
Chase Young, DE, Ohio State
This is another no-brainer pick. Unless Washington gets a huge offer from a QB-needy team trying to jump ahead of everyone else on the board, this has to be the selection. Young is the best overall prospect in this year’s class, which makes him a steal anywhere else but No. 1 overall.
Round 3: Bryce Hall, CB, Virginia
Chase Young is the best player in this draft class and the Redskins have needs up and down the roster. Put another way: DO NOT DRAFT A QB HERE. NO MATTER WHAT, DON’T DO IT.
Round 3: Chase Claypool, WR, Notre Dame
Terry McLaurin can’t do it alone. Claypool is big, strong and fast, and will give Dwayne Haskins another much-needed weapon.
Man...Chase Young looks GOOD in burgundy and gold! If the Redskins were truly mulling offers from other teams in a possible trade-down scenario, that mock-up of The Predator in a Redskins’ uniform is going to make it even harder to trade out of the second-overall pick.
Yes, I get it. The Redskins’ staff (hopefully) don’t care about a jersey swap created online, but every sign points to the Redskins selecting the former Ohio State EDGE anyway. While national pundits are taking (easy) shots at owner Dan Snyder by saying he is forcing the pick, make no mistake; DC Jack Del Rio and HC Ron Rivera want Chase Young.
Though not all media scouts are saying Young is a better prospect than both Bosa brothers, the fact that Young is being compared to the Pro-Bowl defensive ends is reason enough to stick-and-pick if you’re Washington. The player that led the nation with 16.5 sacks and 6 forced fumbles (even while sitting out two games against opponents he would’ve dominated) will immediately be the best EDGE player in the Nation’s Capital, and a welcomed addition to the defensive line already made up entirely of first-round picks.
Round 3: Hunter Bryant, TE, Washington
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 this season 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: Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame
The Redskins could use more a long-term tight end.
Kmet was one of the best tight ends in college football during the 2019 season, catching 43 passes for 515 yards and six touchdowns. At 6-foot-6, 262-pounds, he has good size for the NFL with the ability to become a three-down starter. Kmet had a huge jump in production compared to his sophomore year, when he totaled only 15 receptions for 162 yards.
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.
Round 3: Albert Okwuegbunam, TE, Missouri
The Redskins need a tight end to replace Jordan Reed.
The athletic Albert Okwuegbunan had a coming-out party against Georgia and could be the first tight end off the board in the 2020 NFL Draft.
I understand the Redskins already have depth on the defensive line, but Young is too good to pass up.
Arguably the best player in the 2020 draft, Young will fortify an already good, burgeoning defensive front.
I thought long and hard about going with Tua Tagovailoa here, but think Young is the pick. Washington quietly boasts one of the better young defensive lines in the NFL. Young would put the group in that top-tier conversation.
Washington may entertain offers for this pick, but it will take a king’s ransom for the franchise to pass on an elite talent like Young. Closing out his true sophomore season with six sacks in the final four games, Young built upon his 2018 end-of-season momentum to set an Ohio State record with an FBS-high 16.5 sacks in 2019.
After a slow free agency, I think the team could consider trading down to accumulate future assets that can help solve the Redskins many needs. If they stand pat though, the Redskins are lucky to get Chase Young here at two since the Bengals need a QB.
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.
Supplementing DE Jonathan Allen, EDGEs Ryan Kerrigan and Montez Sweat, DE Matt Ioannidis, NT Daron Payne, and DT Tim Settle with Young could turn Washington’s underrated defensive front into one of football’s best. It would also be a means of planning for the future; Kerrigan turns 32 before the season and is scheduled for free agency next year. Young broke Ohio State’s single-season sack record as a 2019 junior (16.5) despite serving a two-game suspension for an innocuous NCAA rules violation.
Absent a solid trade offer here, which I would not rule out, Young gives Washington another building block in what could turn into an elite front. Young was causing legitimate problems for the opposing defense on one out of every five plays during his final year in college, which is stunning. His pass-rush repertoire is versatile and he’s fast enough to recover from trap plays that use his speed against him.
Washington could trade down but Detroit is willing to trade down as well and the price is lower. The Redskins do not get the necessary package to move down and choose to take Young.
Washington is similar to Cincinnati in that it would be idiotic for the team to trade this pick. “Generational” is the dumbest word in draft parlance, so I won’t use it to describe Young. But he’s special. Players his size shouldn’t be able to move around as well as he does. What really sets Young apart is his explosiveness. He’s first off the ball and does it consistently.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
The Redskins just used a first-round pick on Dwayne Haskins, but Haskins failed to prove last year that he’s the long-term answer. Maybe he still is. No one can know for certain. But until a quarterback-starved franchise like the Redskins is certain they’ve got their guy, they shouldn’t stop taking quarterbacks. At this point a year ago, Tua was the consensus top quarterback in the 2020 draft. If not for an injury, he still might be the top quarterback — at the very least, he’d be in serious contention at No. 2 overall behind Burrow. The Redskins should capitalize by taking him. If Tua beats out Haskins, they can try to flip Haskins for a pick the way the Cardinals did with Josh Rosen. Taking a quarterback again might seem like overkill, but just ask the Cardinals if they’re happy they took Kyler Murray one year after drafting Rosen. I think Tua is worth the second-overall pick, even if his injury history makes him risky.
The Redskins quietly tried to trade Haskins before making this pick but found no takers. They take Tua anyway, so Haskins is on the block and is likely to go at some point during the draft. Just like Rosen last year.
Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State
Yes, the obvious pick here is to give Ohio State edge-rusher Chase Young to the Redskins, and all signs point in that direction. But this is a team that released Josh Norman and mysteriously traded Quinton Dunbar, one of the 15 best cornerbacks in the NFL last season, to the Seahawks for a fifth-round pick. We have no idea why, but Washington needs cornerbacks more than it needs edge rushers right now, and Okudah is the one scheme-transcendent, lockdown cornerback in this draft class. Last season, he allowed an opponent passer rating of 45.3, with 27 catches allowed on 58 targets for 282 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.
Poll
What should the Redskins do with the #2 pick?
This poll is closed
-
39%
Trade down!
(821 votes) -
4%
Draft Tua Tagovailoa
(101 votes) -
54%
Draft Chase Young
(1131 votes) -
0%
Draft Andrew Thomas
(10 votes) -
0%
Draft someone else
(13 votes)