Mock Draft Mania! Redskins Swing a Major Deal!

We are down to the final few days before the Washington Redskins choosing in the NFL Draft and that means mock drafts are dwindling. One of the last is an explosive one!

If the Washington Redskins swung a major trade on Thursday night, I don't think anyone could argue if they walk away with multiple first-round picks this year and perhaps one in the future or a second-round pick on Friday night. 

That concept has been discussed and we wrote about it in detail after asking Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network and NFL Media that exact question. 

Jeremiah answered my question by saying the Redskins needed the No. 5 and No. 18 at least from the Dolphins based on the trade chart and if Washington really wanted Miami to pay a premium, they could try and squeeze out a second-round pick. 

Well that's what happened in Steve Palazzolo's final mock draft from ProFootballFocus..com (PFF). 

🚨 Final mock draft 🚨https://t.co/3vS4i2PCAk

— PFF Commanders (@PFF_Washington) April 20, 2020

The Redskins walked away under Palazzolo's projection with the No.  5, No. 18 and No. 39 picks. The Dolphins moved up for Tua Tagovailoa and the Redskins made things juicier. 

Here's his explanation: "This is the only trade I’ll allow because it’s the only trade worth making as GM of both teams. The Redskins will maximize the value of their No. 2 overall pick by bringing in three extra potential starters, while the Dolphins properly use their extra draft capital to pick their quarterback.

"Tagovailoa comes with plenty of injury risk, but he has posted 90.0-plus passing grades in each of the past two seasons and has the downfield accuracy to efficiently move the chains at the next level. The injury concerns go beyond just the hip that ended Tagovailoa’s season, but without having official medical records, we can only go on what we know. Tagovailoa looks like the second-best quarterback in this class and a tier above the rest of the remaining signal-callers."

So here's who the Redskins walked away from with from those first-round picks. Palazzolo did not do more than the first round in this version.  

No. 5: Andrew Thomas - Left Tackle - Georgia

Palazzolo: "While Washington traded down and passed up on Young, they may come out of the draft with three or more starters — and that’s a win from a team-building standpoint. Thomas is the top offensive tackle on our board, and he can step in at left tackle after a presumed trade of Trent Williams. Thomas is the best combination of pass- and run-blocker in the draft, as he is the only tackle in the class to rank in the top three in both departments last season (89.0 pass-blocking grade, 91.4 run-blocking grade)."

No. 18: Jalen Reagor - Receiver - TCU

"The Redskins walk away with another excellent offensive player in the first round. This time, it's Reagor, who brings an explosive vertical threat to complement Terry McLaurin on the other side. Reagor accelerates as well as any receiver in the class, helping him get on top of cornerbacks and into the secondary in a hurry. He also plays big at the catch point, hauling in an impressive 46.0% of his contested targets over the past two years. Washington passed up on Chase Young but added two valuable pieces with one more extra pick to go in the second round."

One of the more fascinating things about this mock trade that Palazzolo came up with is this: In the PFF Mock Draft Simulator tool, I tried as the Redskins to make this exact trade and it was rejected twice. 

I tried to trade No. 2 for No. 5, No.26 and No. 39 from the Dolphins, essentially a better deal for them and it was still rejected. 

That's because the No. 5 and No. 18 as Jeremiah calculated and mentioned is the fairest deal for both sides. 

Under the CBSSports.com draft trade value chart, the Dolphins two top picks would actually be worth more (707.99) to the Redskins No. 2 pick (664.56). 

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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.