Mock drafts are fun but what about mock trades? This off-season has been riddled with  trades that have already seen the Colts/ Jets swap their 3rd and 6th picks and the Bills and Bengals swap their 12th and 21st picks and Patriots acquired the Rams #23 pick for Brandon Cooks (has anyone woken him up yet from that hit in the Super Bowl?).  You can be sure that Thursday will be no different. Here are some trades that I could see the Redskins making in the 1st round.

Colts get Rd 1#13, Rd 2 #44/ Redskins get Rd 1#6 and select Saquon Barkley: The Redskins seem poised to trade back considering they have glaring needs all over the roster and no depth to boot. A few things would have to happen here. First, Barkley would have to fall out of the top 5 meaning QBs would have to be taken with 4 out of the top 5 picks. Not impossible but unlikely. Also, the Colts would have to be going into this thinking of picking only defense and value 2nd round talent.  Yet, the Colts have expressed interest in moving back in the draft (already doing so once). If the stars aligned, why not move up here and take the best RB prospect since Adrian Peterson? I’m sure the Colts will want more (maybe a 5th/6th round pick) but if the skins could pull this off, they will have drafted a sure-fire superstar that will help us punch through on all short-down and goal line situations that we have struggled so mightily with in Gruden’s time here.

Redskins get Rd1#16, Rd2#52, Rd6#190/ Ravens get Rd1#13 and Select QB Lamar Jackson:  Here is a scenario that I came see coming true. The Ravens sit one selection behind the Cardinals, a Cardinals team who just gave old injury-prone Sam Bradford a year “show me” deal. The Ravens have expressed interest in Lamar Jackson and Ozzie Newsome, Ravens GM, is not scared to pull the trigger on players he likes. Also, if he’s anything like me, he probably has Jackson ranked higher than all the other QBs available. He would have to make a move with either the Redskins or the Packers in order to leap frog the Cardinals. I could see a small bidding war for #13 between the Cards and Ravens where the Ravens give up one of their 6th round picks to sweeten the deal and Skins happily accept. Again, this would be a day of deal and the only way I see this happening is if some of the blue chip defenders (i.e. Chubb, Fitzpatrick, James, Smith, Edmunds) were all gone.  The Ravens would get their heir apparent to Flacco and the Redskins could still land one of their highly ranked DTs (Vea, Payne) seeing as the Cardinals will most likely reach on a QB at #15 or trade back.  Then, the skins could use that 2nd round pick on whatever RB falls in to their lap (Chubb, Penny).

Redskins get Rd1#19, Rd3#81/ Cowboys get Rd1#13 and select WR Calvin Ridley: I know, I know – boo, hiss trading with the Cowboys yuck. However, this is one of the only scenarios I see in where a team has a need outside of QB could be on the move. The Cowboys showed their hand by releasing Dez Bryan this week and now have a glaring need at wide out. Calvin Ridley has been the odds on favorite since the Super Bowl to be the first WR selected and the Cowboys could absolutely use him. Much like the prior scenario, all the blue chip defenders the skins are eyeing would have to be gone for this to happen. Also, QB-hungry teams must have either accepted their fate or just not want to pay the price to move up. The Redskins would get their 3rd round pick back (something that Bruce Allen has been very vocal about) and the Cowboys would get a potential bust in Calvin Ridley – everyone wins! Also, #19 seems like a hike backwards but once Ridley is gone, the Cardinals/ Ravens at #15/16 would have a hard time passing on a QB and the Packers, Chargers and Seahawks all need offensive line help. The very same d-lineman might just be sitting there for the Redskins at #19. Bruce Allen could then gloat about how he got his QB, his rookie, and his 3rd round pick back when Snyder wants to fire him by week 7.

Redskins get Rd 1#23, Rd1#31, Rd 2#63/ Patriots get Rd1#13, Rd2#44 and Select QB Mason Rudolph: Now would this be an exciting trade! This may be wishful thinking but reports are Tom Brady is still unsettled with Belichick and ownership after their falling out last year over TB12 products in the locker room. There are also reports that Brady has considered retirement (https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/tom-brady-surprisingly-hints-that-retirement-could-come-as-soon-as-next-year/).  That means that the Patriots better start grooming a QB now or what their dynasty collapse. Rudolph fits what McDaniels wants to do and might have the best accuracy in the class outside of Mayfield. The Patriots would get their QB of the future and a nice piece of leverage if Brady decides he’s not reporting to camp or retiring after the year.

Still, when I put my redskins GM hat on, I had a hard time accepting this trade. Dropping 10 spots out of the top 15 really hurts our chances at getting a defensive stud but gaining that extra first round pick means we could gather two starters at positional needs. The Redskins need help at interior o-line and any one of the top rated centers should be available at picks #23/#31 and maybe even #65. Arkansas center Frank Ragnow did not give up a sack his entire career at Arkansas and is rated behind OSU center Billy Price and Iowa center James Daniels on nfl.com. Price tore his pec at the combine but was considered to be the best interior o lineman coming into the draft. Daniels is an athletic center that could move to anywhere on the line. I could see the skins using the #23 pick on whatever defensive lineman falls to them (hopefully Payne) and coming back around with a center or interior o-lineman. I’m not as high on Guice as the Redskins brass seems to be, but if they could land Payne at #23 and Guice at #31 that would be a home run even in my book.