The Washington Redskins are getting calls from teams interested in trading for the No. 2 pick in this week’s draft, according to a new report.
The NFL Network reported Tuesday that the Redskins “aren’t intent” on moving down, but are listening to offers. Another reporter from the network soon added Washington knows “they aren’t one player away,” and league insiders believe it can be had for the right price.
Still, it would be a surprise if the Redskins actually make a deal and pass on the chance to take Ohio State pass-rusher Chase Young, considered to be the best player from this class.
At the NFL scouting combine, Redskins coach Ron Rivera said he had a “wish list” for what the team would want in return for their top pick, but added he didn’t think it was feasible.
Throughout the draft process, the Miami Dolphins have been a popular candidate linked to the Redskins’ selection because of their need for a quarterback and the fact that they have the most picks in this year’s draft. In the first round alone, the Dolphins hold the fifth, 18th and 22nd pick.
But on a video conference earlier this month, Rivera didn’t sound interested in trading back when the first round begins Thursday.
Rivera said the Redskins needed a “high-impact” player and that if they were to move down, then the player they would select at the lower pick would have to “validate” passing on the talent available at No. 2.
“If Player A is going to play for you for 10 years and Player D may not, then did you really get value or did you just get a whole bunch of picks?” Rivera said.
The last team to deal the second overall pick was the San Francisco 49ers in 2017. That year, the 49ers moved back just one spot and received the third overall pick, a third-round pick (67th overall) and a fourth-round pick (111th overall) and a third-round pick (70th overall) in 2018 from the Chicago Bears.
In that case, the 49ers still got their preferred player — Stanford’s Soloman Thomas — as the Bears moved up for quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
It would be highly unlikely that Young would still be available to the Redskins if they trade back. The Detroit Lions and the New York Giants — picking third and fourth, respectively — are both in need of defensive playmakers and don’t need a quarterback.
Other recent examples of a team trading back from No. 2 include the Cleveland Browns (2016) and the St. Louis Rams (2012). Each team took back a massive haul of picks.
In 2016, the Philadelphia Eagles gave up five picks — the No. 8 pick in the first round, a third-round pick (77th overall) and a fourth-round pick (100th overall) in this year’s draft, plus a first-round pick (12th overall) in 2017 and a second-round pick (84th overall) in 2018 — in order to jump up to No. 2 and grab quarterback Carson Wentz. The Eagles also received a 2017 fourth-rounder (139th overall) from Cleveland in the deal.
As for 2012, the Redskins surrendered a treasure trove of assets to grab Robert Griffin III with the second overall pick — trading three first-rounders (6th overall in 2012, 22nd overall in 2013 and second overall in 2014) and a 2012 second-rounder (34th) to the Rams.
Interestingly enough, for the teams that traded back, results are mixed.
The Browns, for instance, landed 11 players from the Wentz trade — factoring in other deals Cleveland used with Philadelphia’s draft picks — but only produced one Pro Bowl player, cornerback Denzel Ward.
Of the eight prospects the Rams drafted after the Redskins deal, only cornerback Janoris Jenkins made the Pro Bowl — though he did it with the New York Giants in 2016, a year after his Rams tenure had finished.
To be clear, Pro Bowls aren’t the only way to measure a player’s worth. But they are a tool to judge whether one is making a valuable impact.
“That’s what I believe we need,” Rivera said this month, “is we need a guy that’s going to come in and really change our football team.”
Rivera said then that he already had an idea of what the Redskins would do with their first-rounder, but added they would explore their options. He also told Sports Illustrated that the Redskins would have a cutoff time for any potential trades when they’re on the clock.
Rivera said he didn’t know when that time would be. Would it be with four minutes left? Two minutes?
Until then, any team interested in trading for the second pick can make their offer to the Redskins. It’s a process that’s reportedly begun.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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