Washington Football Team 7-round mock, trading up to the seventh pick

Round 1, Pick 7 – BYU QB Zach Wilson

You never want to force a solution at quarterback, but the Washington Football Team is most definitely on the clock. It may not be long before they have to reload on defense once again. The defensive front should be here to stay for at least a few more years, but Washington shouldn’t be keen on wasting the unit’s prime years.

If the Washington Football Team wants to extend the contention window busted open by their surprising 2020 campaign, then they have to do everything in their power to get their quarterback, even if it means taking a hit down the road. The free agent class is underwhelming, and Washington doesn’t pick high enough to select a franchise QB (Mac Jones isn’t quite worth it, in my opinion; don’t tell Jacob).

Nevertheless, a trade up is still on the table, and an opportunity has opened up to the west, in the great, snow-covered state of Michigan. The Lions recently traded for Jared Goff. While Goff has his share of concerns, his acquisition likely takes them out of the immediate quarterback conversation. Thus, they’re in position to potentially trade down from seventh overall. That’s prime territory for Washington to get their quarterback, if one drops that far.

I’m a big fan of all four top quarterbacks in this class — Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, and Trey Lance — and in this simulation, Wilson and Lance fell to seventh overall. Since you need to be aggressive searching for quarterback solutions, I pulled the trigger. The trade details can be seen below.

Yes, losing both the first and second-round picks in 2022 isn’t ideal. But unlike a certain blockbuster trade-up made by the Washington Football Team years ago, the repercussions of this deal are only felt for one year in advance. Washington gets to keep its second-round pick in 2021, and it also recoups an extra fifth-round selection, which — in recent years — has gifted Washington with players like Matt Ioannidis, Cole Holcomb, and Tim Settle.

All this, and we haven’t even talked about the pick at No. 7: Brigham Young Cougars star quarterback Zach Wilson.

Wilson and Lance are both exciting prospects. Lance is a better athlete with an arguably stronger arm. However, Wilson offers more refinement, and he might be the most natural off-script quarterback in the class. Wilson is a supremely confident player who has a penchant for playmaking. He’s a decent athlete who can roll out and make throws on the run, and he has the arm elasticity to change his throwing angle and adapt to different circumstances.

Wilson himself still needs more seasoning, but his tremendous off-script ability gives him the means to withstand adversity early in his career, and his extension ability and solid accuracy at all levels should enable him to thrive in Scott Turner’s scheme. Wilson would provide the Washington Football Team with a passer who has creation capacity, something they drastically missed in 2020.