It’s unfathomable to consider the Washington Redskins trading down and somehow still landing edge rusher Chase Young, right?
Well there’s one scenario that could work out for the Redskins. It will take a bit of luck and an unexpected major swerve by the Cincinnati Bengals to provide the scenario.
Recently, Pro Football Focus opened their mock draft simulator for fans to head the draft for a team of your choosing. So, I tried my hands in a seven-round mock draft acting as the Washington Redskins’ executive VP of player personnel Kyle Smith and head coach Ron Rivera all in one.
Initial Failed Attempts to Trade Down
As the Redskins, my mind was set on wanting to trade out the No. 2 pick. If all failed, of course picking Chase Young would be the best available chip to play.
First, I tried trading down with the Los Angeles Chargers, who selected No. 6. The thinking is the Chargers may want to leapfrog the Miami Dolphins to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. However, the Chargers weren’t interested, nixing all three of my allowed attempts to persuade them to move up.
Moving on the Dolphins for the No. 5 pick, Miami shot down each try. My best offer was the No. 2 pick and a 2021 fourth-round pick for the No. fifth and 26th overall picks along with a 2021 first-round pick.
Cincinnati’s Big Swerve
Unable to trade down to a valuable slot, the Redskins stand pat with the No. 2 overall pick, set to draft Young. However, the Bengals pulled a huge swerve. Cincinnati drafted Tua Tagovailoa!!
Wait what?!
That’s right the Bengals draft Tua, not Joe Burrow, the presumed No. 1 overall pick. Now with the Redskins on the clock, the No. 2 overall pick now becomes a lottery.
Miami offers to trade up. Ultimately, Washington gets the Dolphins to agree to a mega deal. The Redskins receive the fifth and 18th overall picks in the first-round from the Dolphins. They also got 141st overall pick (fourth round) and a 2021 first-round pick. Washington handed over the second overall pick as well as a 2021 fourth-round pick.
PFF gave the trade a grade of 90.8. They added the Redskins win this trade 73% of the time.
Odds of Tagovailoa Going No. 1
How realistic would it be that the Bengals drafting Tagovailoa? Try +3000.
But there is still a chance, right? Tagovailoa was the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick before he suffered a dislocated hip and Burrow took the NCAA by storm, with his historic run to a national championship at LSU.
Still there are concerns Burrow could be a one year wonder. And if not for having the first overall pick, an ideal situation for Cincinnati would have been to draft a QB whom would comfortable sitting behind Andy Dalton one more season. With Tagovailoa rehabbing his hip injury, Dalton would be allowed one more season at the helm.
Plus, there are still some who believe Tagovailoa could have a greater impact than Burrow — certainly a higher ceiling. ESPN gave Tagovailoa the best odds of draft to become a Pro Bowl quarterback. Reports suggest, Miami would trade up for Burrow if available. This is a great scenario for them to make a move.
Washington passing on Burrow may not be ideal to many, however, the Redskins just traded a fifth-round pick for Kyle Allen to go along with 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins. Yes, the opportunity to get Burrow could trump all of that, but remember Haskins did beat out Burrow for to become Ohio State’s starting quarterback in 2018, forcing Burrow to transfer to LSU.
Thus, trading out of the pick, seemed logical.
Lions and Giants Pass on Chase Young
So presumably, the Redskins forfeit the chance to draft Chase Young. But Detroit opts to stick with drafting Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah. Not far-fetched. The Lions recently traded Darius Slay to Philadelphia and they may already be locked on drafting Okudah to replace him long-term.
Next on the clock is the New York Giants. But their GM is Dave Gettleman, and as we have seen in years past, anything is possible with him. Thus, the Giants took Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs. What?!
The Giants not drafting Young is realistic. Odds are they’d like Clemson utility defender Isaiah Simmons more than Young. There are some like Clinton Portis, pitching for the Redskins to take Simmons over Young with the second overall pick.
The Giants drafting a wide receiver fourth overall is also possible. A receiver like Ruggs, Ceedee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy would be a dynamic add to New York’s offense that already features quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Saquon Barkley, tight end Evan Engram and wide receiver Sterling Shepard.
Redskins Draft Young and Land Left Tackle of Future with 18th Overall Pick
Nonetheless, the Redskins are on the clock with the fifth overall pick and Young is still on the board. How about that?
Washington picks Young and has the 18th pick overall coming up later. That supplants their void of not having a second-round pick in this yearās draft. This more importantly allows them to address a need with a high-impact player. Additionally, having two first-rounders allows the Redskins to settle for moving on from Trent Williams at a lower asking price.
All together, this scenario may be unlikely, but it could happen, and it would undoubtedly be the best-case scenario for Washington.
With the 18th pick and Williams on the way out, itās time to address left tackle long-term. Andrew Thomas of Georgia would be precise, but he goes to a pick earlier to the Dallas Cowboys. Houston’s Josh Jones went two picks ahead at 16 to Atlanta. Alabama’s Jedrick Wills Jr. went 10th to Cleveland and Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs went 11th to the Jets.
But, Louisville’s Mekhi Becton is still there and to complete a three-pick run at offensive tackle, the Redskins take the Combine MVP Becton.
While PFF has a low 49.7 grade for Becton, there are draft analysis that list him as the top offensive tackle in this year’s draft.
The Redskins trading down, getting two additional first-round picks, still drafting Chase Young and landing a left tackle of the future would make them one of the biggest winners of Day 1 of the draft.
Sure, the chances of Tua going No. 1 overall is slim to none, but the Redskins must be prepared for all scenarios, including the Bengals taking Young first overall. But, with great strategy and luck, the Redskins could trade out of No. 2 pick and still be big winners in the draft.
Here’s the Remaining Redskins Picks in the Mock Draft
| Pick | Player | POS | College |
| 66 | Jordyn Brooks | LB | Texas Tech |
| 108 | Donovan Peoples-Jones | WR | Michigan |
| 141* | Albert Okwuegbunam | TE | Missouri |
| 142 | JR Reed | S | Georgia |
| 162 | Michael Ojemudia | CB | Iowa |
| 216 | AJ Dillon | RB | Boston College |
| 229 | Rashard Lawrence | DI | LSU |
The Redskins overall draft grade was 84.8
