With the biggest question facing the Redskins this offseason is at quarterback, Washington should probably look to the 2019 NFL Draft to fill their signal-caller needs.
The only problem is that other teams might have the same idea.
The Redskins currently hold the No. 15 pick in the draft, sitting right in the middle of the road. With three or four quarterbacks being mentioned in the first to second round conversation, there’s a slight chance that Washington doesn’t even have a chance to grab a QB when their first pick comes along.
Lets take a look at the teams ahead of the Redskins who also possess major quarterback needs.
Jacksonville Jaguars
If you were to take a look at the hundreds of mock drafts put out so far this off-season, one trend has remained constant; the Jaguars need a new quarterback. After starting QB Blake Bortles was benched for Cody Kessler (yes…Cody Kessler) earlier this season, the need for a stabilizing force on offense became more apparent than ever.
There are no sure things when it comes to the NFL, but Jacksonville’s need to draft a quarterback is as close to a sure thing as it gets. Their place at No. 7 allows them an opportunity to grab a good one.
Miami Dolphins
Though nothing is official, there is a strong feeling that the Dolphins might move on from QB Ryan Tannehill this off-season. With the 13th pick in the draft, Miami is definitely in play for a young signal caller to pair with presumptive new head coach Brian Flores.
Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins is the top QB in the draft, and thus expected to go somewhere in the Top 10. However, Kyler Murray, Drew Lock and Daniel Jones are all slated to be selected sometime in the 10-15 range, meaning that the Dolphins could bide their time and still get the guy they desire.
Oakland Raiders
The Derek Carr experiment may be coming to an end in Oakland. As the team gets ready to move to Las Vegas, and new coach Jon Gruden continues to unload current players in exchange for future draft picks, it is becoming clear that Carr may be on his way out soon.
The Raiders currently hold three picks in the first round, the first of which is No. 4, which puts them in the driver’s seat when it comes to drafting the QB that they desire. However, it has also been mentioned that they could tank in 2019 in order to select standout talents like Oregon’s Justin Herbert or Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa.
New York Giants
Much was made of the Giants’ need to take a young QB in the 2018 NFL Draft, mainly due to the deep draft class and the fact that they had the No. 2 overall pick.
Instead, they selected RB Saquon Barkley, allowing veteran Eli Manning to hold onto the reigns for one more year. That decision proved to work…kind of? You could debate this either way; on the one hand, Barkley looks like a generational talent and is a finalist for the Rookie of the Year Award, but on the other, Manning looks older than ever, and some fresh blood could act as a cheat code for this potentially explosive offense that is ripe with weapons.
New York passed on what looked like a historically good crop of QB talent in 2018. Should they find someone they like with the No. 6 pick in this year’s draft? Crazier things have happened.
All of this to say…
Should the Redskins make the decision to go with a QB at No. 15 in the NFL Draft, there’s a slight chance that the player they were hoping to get is no longer on the board.
I don’t think this will happen, as the 2019 quarterback crop is relatively weak in talent, but anything can happen when the clock starts ticking.
Bruce Allen could negate all of this talk should he get bold and trade up to get the player he desires, but in my opinion, there is nobody worth that risk this year.
What matters the most is where Washington sees their QB fix coming from, be it free agency or the draft. Whichever path they choose, they had better get it right.
