Breer: "Washington actually could take Tua."

The Redskins are on the verge of either smartly shaping their franchise for years to come or taking an unnecessary risk.

Smart:

1. Take Chase Young at a premier position and harass quarterbacks for years to come the way Von Miller, Khalil Mack and others have.

2. Trade down from No. 2 and gain at least two first-round picks this year and perhaps one next year, along with a second-round pick they desperately need.

3. Take someone else if Chase Young goes No. 1. That's right, he could. Nobody will consider this possibility. Why? I have no idea.

What should the Redskins do if somehow this scenario plays out? Joe Burrow? Tua Tagovailoa? Jeff Okudah?

Unnecessary Risk:

1. Selecting Tua Tagovailoa: Out of respect to the type of quarterback and leader Tagovailoa seems to be, I decided against labeling a potential selection of the Alabama signal caller as "dumb."

That's with the No. 2 pick. I would also say the same for Tagovailoa going lower than five. I can justify the faith in the player if you're the Miami Dolphins because you have opportunity to take a chance.

The Redskins do not.

I strongly feel that Tagovailoa is way too extreme a risk for a team with NO margin for error.

Our only major issue with Tagovailoa is his repeated injury history. It's not one injury, it's a half dozen, ranging from minor to severe.

The Redskins are either playing their cards perfectly OR they are about to go to Vegas looking to beat the house and could come away with their best chance for a happy home being demolished.

The latest via Albert Breer of The MMQB:

The combine is over and the new League Year is a week away, but there’s plenty happening around the NFL. @AlbertBreer breaks down Tom Brady’s situation, its trickle-down effect, the CBA vote and more: https://t.co/HuvLDkIkIZ pic.twitter.com/w8UE3vouv8
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 9, 2020

From the column: "Heard this from multiple people, and one scout put it simply, in answering my question: Washington actually could take Tua. Do I believe that the Redskins will draft Tagovailoa? I don’t know yet. What I do know is that the current Redskins staff is just getting to know Dwayne Haskins, and having the second pick puts that staff in a unique position to draft a blue-chip quarterback if they see fit. Or trade the pick for a haul. Or take Ohio State DE Chase Young. Either way, I think you’ll see a significant Redskins contingent at Tagovailoa’s Pro Day in April. I’ve been told they’ll do all the work as if they are taking a quarterback at two. Which doesn’t mean much yet, other than that they’re being diligent about it."

My Spin: Of course, they are going to sell the notion they could take anybody hard. It only benefits the Redskins.

They are not going to tell anybody who they are going to take because they don't know yet, based on what the Bengals do.

And yes, without any doubt, the Redskins usually send a contingent of about 15 or so coaches and scouts to Alabama's Pro Day but what many do not realize (that I've pointed out several times) is that the Redskins are one of a couple of organizations that get an extra inside look at Alabama prospects after the initial pro day.

They've done this for a few years. Because they've taken so many Alabama prospects and because Kyle Smith worked his ass off to develop trust and belief from Nick Saban.

Why is this important? The Redskins will able to hone in on certain questions or evaluations that they have questions about and will get to spend extra time with the prospects and their coaches in a more relaxed, private setting.

No TV cameras, no hoopla. Just football.

It also provide you with the opportunity to realize that Tagovailoa is ideally the quarterback you would want but the injury concern and nightmare that you should avoid.

Chris Russell is the Publisher of RedskinsReport.com & Sports Illustrated's Washington Redskins channel. He can be heard on 106.7 The FAN in the Washington D.C. area and world-wide on Radio.com. Chris also hosts the "Locked on Redskins" Podcast and can be read via subscription to Warpath Magazine. You can e-mail Chris at russellmania09@Gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @Russellmania621.

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