NFL Free Agency is now just a week away, but we still have some time until the NFL Draft rolls around. That just leaves us more time to kill time and debate who the Washington Redskins might select with the No. 2 overall pick, and where they choose to go strategically after that.
While the majority of mock drafts you read will all say that Chase Young is a lock for the Redskins with their first pick, it is what happens after that the becomes interesting. On Wednesday, USA TODAY’s Draft Wire released their latest seven-round mock draft, fit with the addition of compensatory picks, which were awarded on Tuesday. The Redskins were given an extra fourth-round selection. Here’s who Luke Easterling pegged Washington to draft:
Round 1 (No. 2): DE Chase Young — Ohio State
Round 3 (No. 66): OT Lucas Niang — TCU
Round 4 (No. 108): CB LaVert Hill — Michigan
Round 4 (No. 142): WR Gabriel Davis — UCF
Round 5 (No. 158): TE Colby Parkinson — Stanford
Round 7 (No. 216): LB Evan Weaver — California
Round 7 (No. 229): S Tanner Muse — Clemson
The mock does a great job of addressing the Redskins needs, filling spots at LT, CB, TE, and LB. The addition of the compensatory pick in the fourth round also allows Washington to take another shot at a young and dynamic wide receiver as well, though I expect that the Redskins will do what they can to pair Ohio State’s K.J. Hill with Dwayne Haskins, even if that means reaching for him in the early fourth round.
On top of this, the selection of Evan Weaver in the seventh round stands out to me. Cole Holcomb was a great success in 2019 after being drafted in the fifth round, and Weaver has a chance to be something similar. As a fan of Pac-12 football, I watched a lot of Weaver in his senior season at Cal, and he was extremely impressive, flying all over the field and getting his nose in on every play that there was to be made. If the Redskins can swing this type of pick late in the draft, their defense will be set up for years to come.
[vertical-gallery id=31288]