Assessing Redskins first-round options: Iowa OT Tristan Wirfs

Should the Redskins draft Tristan Wirfs?

Wirfs is no doubt one of the top prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft, and if the Redskins manage to trade back within the top ten, they need to seriously consider employing his services. There are a number of other options which also command interest, but Wirfs might be the best mixture of need and talent on the board.

Isaiah Simmons is the most popular alternative in a trade-back situation, and with good reason; Simmons’ versatility is just as exciting as advertised, and he’d allow the Redskins defensive coaches to be creative in 2020. But when analyzing Simmons and Wirfs against one another, one has to wonder if Simmons’ talent is enough to outweigh Wirfs’ more prudent positional value.

In my opinion, the answer is a fairly responding “no”. That’s not to diminish Simmons’ talent, but instead to emphasize Wirfs’ own talent. Wirfs and Simmons are on the same plane in my mind — both constituting elite athletes with positional versatility in their respective spheres. When talent is equal or close to equal, I give the edge to need and positional value. Wirfs’ position is a greater need for Washington, and Wirfs’ position has more value in the modern NFL. Thus, I would pick Wirfs.

All this said, there exists potential for the Redskins to fill their tackle need elsewhere, and if they trade back, they’ll presumably have more capital to wait and grab another blocker in the deep 2020 tackle class. But Wirfs’ talent and future projection is very enticing, and for the Redskins, who need to preserve and incubate Dwayne Haskins’ growth, going with the arguable best offensive tackle prospect in Round 1, after trading back and adding more picks, is a choice that shouldn’t backfire.