Mike Fanelli | March 28th, 2020
After years of being overly aggressive in free agency, the Washington Redskins have learned to “shop smart”. Instead of signing big name guys to awful contracts, they have learned to focus on smaller and smarter deals. They started the offseason by placing the franchise tag on star right guard Brandon Scherff. Starting left guard Ereck Flowers signed a massive deal with the Miami Dolphins. The Redskins were wise not to match and instead sign former Atlanta Falcons’ guard Wes Schweitzer to a deal for half the cost. They made a run at Amari Cooper but he ultimately decided to re-sign with the Dallas Cowboys.
Trent Williams remains a Redskin despite his agent’s public complaints and the team permitting him to seek a trade. The team did trade unhappy cornerback Quinton Dunbar to the Seattle Seahawks for a fifth-round pick, leaving them with a big hole to fill at outside cornerback. The only other trade the Redskins have made so far this offseason is trading their own fifth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for quarterback Kyle Allen. The move is a bit surprising as some around the league believe that Allen and Dwayne Haskins will be in a quarterback competition for the starting spot. After the two trades, the Redskins still have seven picks in this year’s draft.
To help with this mock draft, I used the Fanspeak mock draft simulator.
Make sure to check out all of our other NFL team mock drafts here.
Round 1, Pick 2: Chase Young, EDGE, Ohio State
This is a no brainer pick for the Redskins. Unless another team offers a bounty of picks for a quarterback that the Redskins can’t turn down, Young is the pick. While the Redskins don’t need help at defensive end, Young is viewed as a generational prospect. While Redskins’ twitter argues back and forth on whether to trade this pick or not, a trio of Young, last year’s first-round pick Montez Sweat, and veteran Ryan Kerrigan would be arguably the best in the league.
Chase Young is still adding to his pass rush arsenal. He added a really nice club and swim last year.
Don’t overthink it #HTTR pic.twitter.com/LdpUNGBLNw
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) January 9, 2020
Round 3, Pick 66: Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State
With Dunbar and Josh Norman now in Seattle and Buffalo, the Redskins are thin at outside cornerback. While bringing back Kendall Fuller after a short stint in Kansas City helps, he mostly will play nickelback or safety. Fabian Moreau should start at one outside cornerback spot but he is entering the final year of his rookie deal. Arnette got overshadowed at Ohio State by Jeffrey Okudah and Shaun Wade, but he is getting more hype as we get closer to the draft. With Dunbar and Norman out of the picture, Arnette likely will be starting for the Redskins come week one.
Round 4, Pick 108: Saahdiq Charles, OT, LSU
More than likely, Williams will be traded before the draft and should net the Redskins another draft pick. However, whenever Williams is dealt (whether before or after the draft), the Redskins will need a new franchise left tackle. They did sign Cornelius Lucas to compete with former third-round pick Geron Christian but adding Charles to the mix would be smart. Charles has a lot of starting experience over his last two years at LSU but has played just four years on the offensive line so he still has plenty of room to grow. There are some off the field concerns with Charles that will need to be addressed but if he can put that behind him, he could end up being Williams’ replacement at left tackle.
Round 4, Pick 142: Devin Duvernay, WR, Texas
The trio of Terry McLaurin, Kelvin Harmon, and Steven Sims Jr. all had solid rookie seasons. However, the only moves the Redskins have made at wide receiver were releasing Paul Richardson and signing Cody Latimer. The moves are basically a wash and the Redskins still need to add help at the wide receiver position. After being stuck behind Lil’Jordan Humphrey on the depth chart in 2018, Duvernay exploded in 2019. His 106 catches for 1,386 yards and nine touchdowns were all career-highs and team highs. He made several impressive catches this season, especially in the red zone and on third down.
Let’s watch that again. Devin Duvernay doing what he does best. 🤘#ThisIsTexas #HookEm @Dev_Duv5 pic.twitter.com/lQhycLt5zv
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) January 2, 2020
Round 5, Pick 162: Harrison Bryant, TE, Florida Atlantic
Vernon Davis announced he was retiring before free agency began, while Jordan Reed was released after not playing last year with a concussion. Currently, former fifth-round pick Jeremy Sprinkle is projected to be the starting tight end. The Redskins did sign Richard Rodgers and Logan Thomas but neither is a starting caliber tight end. While Bryant is a bit raw, and won’t be a day one starter, he can be a “move tight end” early in his NFL career as he works on his blocking ability. He may not be on the field a lot as a rookie, especially on early downs, but he has strong hands and can line up in several spots.
Round 7, Pick 216: Khaleke Hudson, LB/SAF, Michigan
The Redskins added several cheap veterans to one-year deals in free agency, including guys like Sean Davis at safety and Thomas Davis at linebacker. However, the team still needs depth at both spots. What’s better than drafting a guy who can fill one role? A guy who can fill two. Hudson is a linebacker/safety tweener, who would provide depth at both positions as well as be a critical member on special teams.
Round 7, Pick 229: Zach Shackelford, iOL, Texas
Even after placing the franchise tag on Scherff and replacing Flowers with Schweitzer, the Redskins still need to add depth along the interior of the offensive line. Shackelford is raw and needs some work with his functional strength. While he will never turn into a starter, Shackelford should make the final roster as a backup at both guard and center.
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