For Redskins, No. 66 pick is underrated in its importance

For the Redskins, a team at the start of a crucial rebuild, the No. 66 pick is a selection which holds underrated importance.

The Washington Redskins hold the No. 2 selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, and so naturally, that is the pick that carries the most publicity into Thursday night. The Chase Young vs. Field debate has raged on for a good couple months now, but a point of almost parallel contention is what the Redskins intend to do at No. 66 overall.

The No. 66 pick is the second pick in the third round, and depending on the talent available, it could function as a late second-round selection for the Redskins. There’s always talent from the previous round that trickles into the latter sections of the NFL Draft, and the Redskins, situated at the top of Round 3, have a chance to capitalize on that effect.

But there’s also another choice the Redskins can make with the No. 66 overall pick. They could choose to instead capitalize on another team’s aggressiveness, and trade back further into the third round, whilst acquiring more mid-round picks. They enacted a similar plan in the 2018 NFL Draft when the San Francisco 49ers traded up to No. 44 overall to select Dante Pettis. The Redskins swapped back to No. 59, picked Derrius Guice, and gained an extra third-round pick.

The Redskins selections in that scenario haven’t panned out thus far, but with a new regime comprised of Ron Rivera and Kyle Smith leading the way up top, there’s a chance that kind of maneuver could result in increased value in 2020. A trade back in the third round obviously wouldn’t net as much as a trade back in the second round, but it’s still a way to add draft selections in Round 4 and Round 5, which the Redskins could use to infuse depth and starting potential into their roster.

Part of it depends on the value available at No. 66; if there’s a highly-rated cornerback, wide receiver, or offensive tackle prospect, Washington would be inclined to stay put and reap the benefits of the draft board organically. But if the available players don’t match what they’re looking for, then they should consider moving back, to both increase the value of their next pick, while adding more selections overall to their war chest.