Washington Redskins: Joe Flacco trade changes draft landscape

The Washington Redskins getting a quarterback with the 15th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft seemed a longshot, but the Joe Flacco trade changes things.

Realistically, there are four quarterback prospects that are virtual locks to be selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The four quarterbacks are Dwyane Haskins (Ohio State), Daniel Jones (Duke), Drew Lock (Missouri) and Kyler Murray (Oklahoma). There’s no reason to believe any would slip past the Washington Redskins at pick No. 15.

Will Grier (West Virginia) is an intriguing name, but he doesn’t appear to be that high on boards/mocks. He could be an excellent second- or third-round pick for the Redskins if they choose to go that route though.

In fact, for a while there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding if one of the four top quarterbacks would be there at No. 15 for the Redskins to take. The Denver Broncos trading for Joe Flacco opens things up a little bit though, and gives Washington a better chance of someone landing at their feet with that exact pick.

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Let’s go through the teams ahead of them and figure out if each team could be going for a quarterback. Of course, this is expecting no trades, and we all know there will be trades. That being said, there aren’t any teams behind the Redskins you would expect to trade up for a QB. So it’s safe to assume any trade would hinder Washington from getting a QB.

First up is the Arizona Cardinals, they took Josh Rosen last year, so that’s an obvious no. Next up are the San Francisco 49ers. Jimmy Garoppolo is their guy — 0-for-2. The New York Jets are next and they drafted Sam Darnold last year — 0-for-3. Then the Oakland Raiders draft, and although there were some shaky moments last season, Derek Carr is their guy, so 0-for-4. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are next. While it’s not impossible, they did pick up Jameis Winston‘s option. Due to that, we’ll say 0-for-5.

Finally, we get to the New York Giants. This should be a slam dunk — Dwyane Haskins, first quarterback off the board. Next up are the Jacksonville Jaguars, and they’re desperate for a quarterback as well. Many are speculating they could go after a veteran as they were in the Super Bowl hunt just two years ago. Since they haven’t done that yet though, I’ll assume they’ll take the second quarterback off the board.

The Detroits Lions are next, and they have Matthew Stafford, who’s next? That would be the Buffalo Bills, who just took Josh Allen last season, so that’s a nope from them as well. The Denver Broncos are next and they just traded for Flacco — keep up.

Next we have an intriguing case in the Cincinnati Bengals. The Andy Dalton era has been underwhelming. He has two years left on his contract but suffered a season-ending thumb injury late last season. Still, they won’t go quarterback here unless they decide to move on from Dalton completely. The Green Bay Packers are up next. Aaron Rodgers — enough said.

After the Packers, the Dolphins are on the clock. Drafting a quarterback seems like the obvious option for them. One quarterback left. The final pick before the Redskins are the Atlanta Falcons, with Matt Ryan at the helm they aren’t drafting a QB.

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This leaves a quarterback for the Washington Redskins at No. 15. Maybe it’s not the top guy on their list, but getting a quarterback without having to trade up and lose multiple draft picks in the process is a nice consolation prize.

With the Denver Broncos out of the mix, the Washington Redskins are now in prime position to snag a quarterback in the 15th slot. This should now be their main focus in the draft as quarterback is clearly their top position of need and they won’t need to beg for a miracle to see one fall to them.

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