Washington Football Team rumored to be among teams that could trade up

What assets could the Washington Football Team use in a trade up?

This is another big question. To answer it, it’s important to look at what some previous trades up have cost.

Thankfully, Graziano and Fowler did the legwork for us there. They outlined a few recent trades from the lower half of Round 1 into the upper half.

"Three years ago, Buffalo gave up first- and fifth-rounders plus offensive tackle Cordy Glenn to move from No. 21 into Cincinnati’s 12th spot (plus a throw-in sixth-rounder), then gave up No. 12 and two second-rounders for Tampa Bay’s No. 7 pick, taking quarterback Josh Allen. The year before, Houston gave up two first-rounders to move from No. 25 to No. 12 for Deshaun Watson, and Kansas City did the same plus a third-rounder to jump from No. 27 to No. 10 for Patrick Mahomes."

So, in all likelihood, the WFT trade package would have to include some of these elements.

Draft capital. To move into the top 10, it would probably take Washington a couple of first-round picks, or a first-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick, and additional non-first-round picks, depending on what teams are asking for. The cost would be substantial from a draft pick standpoint, but it would be the easiest way to get a deal done.

OL Brandon Scherff. Scherff is on his second franchise tag in as many seasons and it doesn’t seem like Washington and the All-Pro guard are working toward any sort of long-term deal. As such, he could leave Washington during the offseason and that would make him a trade candidate.

Scherff may fetch a compensatory Round 3 pick if he leaves in free agency, so Washington would want to get value commensurate to that or better than it overall. Any Scherff deal would come with some sort of extension tied to the new team to reduce his cap-hit and keep him in place long-term, so things could get complicated if he’s included.

One of the team’s defensive linemen. After spending four consecutive first-round picks on the D-Line, Washington has a glut of talent there. If they’re afraid that they won’t be able to keep all of their defensive linemen on long-term deals, they could offload one to make moving up easier.

Of the bunch, Daron Payne would probably be the one that Washington would be most willing to trade since Matt Ioannidis and Tim Settle could combine to replace him alongside Jonathan Allen. Still, that’d be a tough pill for Washington to swallow, as Payne’s unique combination of size and speed have made him tough to guard on the interior.

But if Washington can get a top player that they want, they could at least consider a deal.

Overall, nothing is guaranteed ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft. Washington could make a splash move or they could stay put at 19. If they do want to move up though, they do have potential assets available to do it. It’s just a matter of finding a willing trade partner.