Rumors: Could Trent Williams actually fetch a first-round pick via trade?

The Trent Williams saga appears set to come to an end soon. He will likely be on the move at some point during the 2020 NFL Draft, but one analyst thinks he may fetch a first-round value.

For much of the offseason, the discussion has been about what the Washington Redskins could get in exchange for Trent Williams. Once it became clearer that Williams and the team weren’t going to come to a resolution on his contract/status with the team, the discussion was all about what the team could get for Williams.

Now, it seems like we’ll soon have an answer. Just a day ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft, it’s looking likely that Williams will be traded at some point soon. It may be before the draft. It may be during the draft. But overall, it seems likely to happen.

That said, there is one analyst who thinks it’s possible that the Redskins could get a first-round pick in exchange for Williams. Dan Patrick said on his show that he believes the ‘Skins will get a first-round selection and then use it on a tackle, as clipped and transcribed by Burgundy Blog.

While Redskins fans like the sound of that, it’s not probable that this will actually happen. There are a “Big 4” of offensive tackles that are expected to go early in the draft with Tristan Wirfs, Jedrick Wills, Andrew Thomas, and Mekhi Becton. All four seem likely to be top-15 picks and at the very least, they’ll be top-20 options.

Could a tackle-needy team after that be willing to throw a first-round pick the Redskins’ way for Williams? It’s possible. But given that Williams is 31 and there are some other fringe first-round tackles that teams could target, it may be hard for the Redskins to squeeze that type of compensation out of any potential trade partner.

With that said, the possibility of landing a second-round pick in a Williams trade looks brighter. If there is a run on first-round tackles and team like, say, the Cleveland Browns opt to go defense at No. 10 and miss out on the top tackles, they could be willing to offload a second-round selection for Williams. And for the Redskins, that would be a massive win as there would still be some solid developmental tackles on the board that they could target with a top-50 pick.

And it’s worth noting that the Redskins have had some “definite discussions” with the Browns, as NBC Sports Washington’s Julie Donaldson has reported. So, they’re looking like a potential trade partner. Meanwhile, the New York Jets are reportedly not expected to trade for Williams, as ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported.

We’ll soon see what happens with Williams. For now, everything is on the table. But if the ‘Skins can somehow get a second-round pick, that would be huge. And if they somehow land a first-rounder, that would be a coup for Ron Rivera and Kyle Smith as they look to rebuild the team.