As Thursday's NFL Draft edges closer for the Redskins who currently hold the 4th, Washington has many decisions to make from which players to keep or trade to whether the pick is dealt to acquire additional picks. We at The DC Sports Page have come to our own conclusions regarding possible moves as we've listed below:
Trading Down To Acquire More Picks:
Allen and Shanahan have already made sound and reasonable decisions that sometimes were lacking in the previous administration at Redskins Park. With so many holes to fill at once during a deep draft year, the Redskins will definitely be looking to move down in the draft to gain more picks for the ones lost in the 2nd round (part of McNabb trade) and the 3rd round (due to the supplemental draft last year of DE Jarmon).
Cleveland is rumored to make a move to acquire Bradford with the #1 pick, since St. Louis has been unable to sign the QB prior to the draft. Without teams looking to move up to draft Clausen the Skins could have a tough sell. Their best ally would be the Lions. Yes, Detroit could draft an OL allowing one of the elite DT's to fall to the 4th Pick. Teams may want to move up and thus the Redskins could still acquire a top OL in the top ten and pick up an additional pick.
Seattle (6, 14) or San Francisco (13, 17) would make ideal trade partners with Washington as both teams have two first round draft picks, but this sounds more like a fantasy trade than anything else. Haynesworth, Portis, Campbell, or McIntosh could also enter the equation to make such a bold move.
Dropping down too far for additional picks wouldn't solve the long term issues the team faces. It still needs an elite LT, as well as a LB, S, and cover corner. Once Okung, Bulaga, and Williams come off the board the OT situation becomes a little more murky. Washington should retain their #4 overall pick if their only option to trade down is to fall out of the top 15 resulting in the top OL, ILB, RB, and DT falling off the board but trading to add more quality players via the top three rounds in draft should be a top priority.
The Value of Haynesworth
Precedence has been set in the market with McNabb's trade value, but how does the rest of the league feel? McNabb is 33 years old and hasn't won a title yet while Haynesworth is 28 and is still one of the top defensive lineman in the league. Hanyesworth would come with a hefty price so packaging him with another player or lowering the expectations of what is expected in return may be another option. Clearly if McNabb can garner a 2nd Round pick this year and either a 3rd or 4th Round pick next year (based upon performance) than a young game changing DT in his prime is certainly worth a 2nd Round pick. Unfortunately for Washington the only takers may be a team that made the playoffs last season that would make a late 2nd Round pick seem almost like a 3rd Round pick.
It's reported that Washington hasn't engaged in trade talks involving Haynesworth, who's working out on his own and not to keen on a switch to a 3-4 defense along with a move to NT. Hayneworth who often appeared winded last season did make his presence known to opposing OL and QB's and considering that Washington used him differently than his attacking disruptive scheme assignment in Tenn. the Redskins may want to re-evaluate how best to utilize him.
The Value of Campbell
Several teams could be interested in a starting QB in a weak free agent market for the position. The Redskins may have to realize that the reason they felt a need to trade with McNabb was due to their evaluation of Campbell. What does this say about teams that would consider Campbell as their starting QB - not much and that's the answer for compensation. The Redskins may take the quick offer to gain a 6th Round pick this year that was lost due to Jason Taylor or a performance related pick for next year.
The Value of McIntosh
OLB Rocky McIntosh (27) could also be looking for a new home in 2010 as he's voiced his displeasure with his contract. He's already had multiple surgeries in his young career so the value back in return may not be what Washington would like. Also, as the Redskins appeared to lack the depth at the LB position that they had a few years ago, so making a switch to 3-4 defense would become even more challenging.
Ultimately it may be extremely difficult to move down in the draft in an area on the board that would yield a top starter and potential pro-bowl calibur player with an additional pick later in the draft. There aren't many players that have multiple teams looking to move up and leap frog over other teams to obtain the player they want.
The more likely scenario would have the Skins retain the pick and take an OL with the #4 pick in the draft unless the Lions take an OT leaving either DT McCoy or Suh on the board for Washington. Drafting a DT tackle at #4 could trigger Washington looking to move Haynesworth for an OT via trade with such teams as Baltimore or New Orleans that both have restricted free agent starting tackles.
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