Why the Redskins absolutely should draft Chase Young

Options aside from Young

First, let’s look at the Kiper option.

Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson. The best QBs over the past 20 years right up to the present. What do they have in common? None were drafted in the top 10. Okay, so the best QB on the planet right now, Pat Mahomes, was in fact taken in the top ten – at No. 10.

But the recent QBs picked in the top two? Sam Bradford, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Baker Mayfield, Mitchell Trubisky, and Kyler Murray.

Washington Commanders

Maybe I’m forgetting someone. There are some good players, for sure. But is there a Hall of Famer on that list? Newton has had the best career, but injuries have derailed him and he has now been jettisoned by Carolina. But that is not surprising because excepting the picks in the last four years, not a single one of these names is still playing for the team that drafted him. That is a stunning realization; that when a team spends very high draft capital on the most important position in football, it is very likely to be a bust pick. Any takers out there for Mitch Trubisky?

Okay, but what about trading down? It’s a tried and true method for team-building. The problem is that it is a dependent strategy. You need a partner willing to offer a lot in return. The Redskins have great experience with this, having been part of two of the biggest exchanges of this type in NFL history.

In 1999, the Redskins traded the fifth pick in the draft to New Orleans for eight total picks, including two first-rounders. Though poor management did not result in obvious benefit for the Redskins, they did turn those picks into quality players like Champ Bailey (who they didn’t have the foresight to hold onto), Jon Jansen, and Lavar Arrington. The Saints’ selection, Ricky Williams, while supremely talented, essentially flamed out after a few seasons. Then, the ‘Skins mortgaged their future to trade up for Robert Griffin III. For about a year, it looked like a good move. Not so much after that. More like a disaster.

It is unlikely any team will offer enough to entice the Redskins at this point. Such trades have hardly ever worked out for the team that is moving up, and every GM knows it. On top of that, trading down in this position requires that a franchise have great patience, and if we have learned anything in the Dan Snyder era, it’s that the Redskins do not have that particular attribute.

Which is precisely why the Redskins should draft Young. Because if you do not have the patience, wisdom, and discipline to build a sustainable, quality franchise, you have to find shortcuts.