Redskins Saturday Spotlight: The complications of a top three pick

Managing needs and resources

Best player available is an attractive strategy on the surface, but it doesn’t change the fact that all teams have needs which are more serious than others. Even for the teams that have the opportunity to pick the best player available, managing needs and resources is a necessary step in succeeding at the NFL Draft. Simply throwing darts doesn’t cut it.

The Redskins won’t have an excess of draft selections next year, unless they make a trade or two in the offseason of 2020. As of now, they’re on track to have seven total selections; one in Round 1, one in Round 3, two in Round 4, one in Round 5, and two in Round 7.

The lack of a second-round pick, due to the trade for Montez Sweat in 2019, is the most complicating matter for the Redskins draft strategy. If they want to address a certain position with a top talent more than others, they might only get one chance to do it: At the top of Round 1. Then it’s a long wait to Round 3.

For that reason, unfiltered best player available might not be the most all-encompassing strategy for the 2020 Redskins. There are multiple positions that deserve attention that early. Andrew Thomas is an offensive tackle worth picking that early, Jerry Jeudy is an explosive offensive weapon also worth a top pick, and other exemplary players, like Grant Delpit and Tristan Wirfs, might also deserve attention in the top three or five.

If the Redskins are willing to bump themselves down a bit, in order to acquire more draft assets, and still be in play for players like Henry Ruggs III, Paulson Abedo, Jeffrey Okudah, and others, then they could trade back from the top three. They likely wouldn’t be able to pick a top talent like Young or Thomas in that case, but they’d be able to diversify their solutions, and add more talent overall, supplementing their roster in different areas.