When major news publications tweet out their official mock drafts ahead of April, there’s hardly a reason for fans of the Washington Redskins to bat an eye anymore. If it doesn’t peg the Redskins to select Ohio State defensive end Chase Young with the No. 2 overall pick, then there’s a good chance it’s unreliable, and done just to spark a debate.
Like every other respectable mock draft out there, ESPN’s Mel Kiper has the Redskins selecting Young at No. 2 in his 2020 NFL Mock Draft 2.0 — who would have thought? What’s interesting, however, is the prediction he made soon-there-after.
Kiper says he wouldn’t be surprised to see the Redskins contend for an NFC East title this year.
Am I crazy to think the Redskins aren’t that far away from being a contender in the NFC East? They have some nice defensive pieces such as Jonathan Allen, Montez Sweat and Landon Collins. If they can sort out their offensive line issues — bring back Trent Williams and re-sign Brandon Scherff — and get a Year 2 jump from Dwayne Haskins, Ron Rivera’s team should be much improved in 2020.
There are some big ‘ifs’ baked into that take, such as a reunion of Trent Williams and a re-signing of Brandon Scherff, not to mention a Year 2 jump from Dwayne Haskins. Still though, as a whole, it isn’t a crazy notion to think that the Redskins could win eight or nine games this season. When you look across the rest of the NFC East as well, there is arguably no powerhouse that Washington will have to take down either. Both the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants are operating under a new coaching staff and the Philadelphia Eagles — who hold the belt as division leaders — don’t feel like they’re unbeatable.
It may not happen this year, but it’s not hard to picture a scenario where the Redskins are fighting for a playoff spot come December. Even Kiper thinks so.
