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Redskins Mocks: ESPN’s Todd McShay has Washington selecting safety

By Jacob Camenker

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 02: Derwin James #3 of the Florida State Seminoles reacts after a play against the Alabama Crimson Tide during their game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 02: Derwin James #3 of the Florida State Seminoles reacts after a play against the Alabama Crimson Tide during their game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Mock draft season is just getting started. ESPN’s Todd McShay released his 2018 Mock Draft 1.0 this week, and he has the Washington Redskins selecting a safety.

Redskins fans, rejoice! While the team may not be going anywhere this season, the team is going to have an opportunity to set themselves up for some success during the offseason. With the 2017 regular season winding down, many are starting to turn to the offseason and that means that there will be many rumors, projections, and mock drafts coming the way of the Redskins fans.

Most recently, ESPN’s Todd McShay released his first 2018 mock draft and in the mock, the Redskins were picking No. 13 overall. At that spot, McShay had the Redskins selecting Florida State’s Derwin James. Here’s what he said about the talented defensive back.

"13. Washington RedskinsDerwin James, S, Florida StateThis is one of the tougher picks to predict, as the direction will be dictated by what happens with Kirk Cousins. If he’s back, the best player on the board is James, who is an extremely versatile safety and will likely test well at the combine. In a division with Alshon Jeffery, Odell Beckham Jr. and Dez Bryant at wide receiver, you can’t have enough secondary help."

McShay’s point in completely sensible, and James is potentially one of the best players in the draft. In the event that he is available at the No. 13 pick, the team has to consider taking him.

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Right now, it’s unclear what the Redskins have at safety. D.J. Swearinger has had a decent year, but there is an out in his contract that could allow the team to part ways with him after this season. Montae Nicholson has flashed as a rookie, but he has also dealt with a concussion that has kept him out for a full month. And, of course, Su’a Cravens wants to return to the NFL, but it’s unclear whether or not Washington will want him back next year.

At the same time, it may benefit the team to look at a different position depending on what happens with the safeties currently on the roster. If Nicholson recovers well and Cravens returns and becomes a starting caliber player, then taking a guy like James would make little sense. But those things are far from certain, so grabbing him at 13 would make a lot of sense.

The only question would be, is there any better player on the board than James? The answer is, in McShay’s draft, possibly. McShay has Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson going a single pick after James, and he could be the best guard in the NFL very shortly into his career. Given the weakness the team had at left guard this year, Nelson could be a big addition for the already strong Redskins offensive line.

Next: 5 Bold predictions for Redskins vs. Cardinals in NFL Week 15

In our latest mock, we had James going to the Bengals at No. 12. We said he’d be a steal if he fell that far. So needless to say, we’re a bit skeptical that he would make it to the Redskins pick if they are picking in the early teens. He is definitely a guy that they should continue to watch, but it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see him go inside the top 10 and elude the Redskins first pick.

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