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Report: Redskins May Trade Down From Fifth Pick

By Jesse Jones

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Three years ago, the Washington Redskins were apart of one of the biggest draft trades in recent memory. The Redskins traded their next to first-round draft picks, along with another first-round pick, and a second round pick to the St. Louis Rams in order to trade up to the No. 2 spot in 2012 to draft Robert Griffin III.

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Everyone knows how that played out. At first, the Redskins looked like geniuses. Griffin exploded onto the scenes and brought Washington back to the playoffs. Two years later, not so much.

Griffin can’t stay on the field, has been rather ineffective when on the field, and the Redskins are back to where they were just a handful of seasons ago.

As for the St. Louis Rams, they haven’t made it back into the postseason, but they used those picks acquired from Washington, combined with the picks they already had, and drafted a key core of players: Greg Robinson, Alec Ogletree, Zac Stacey, Stedman Bailey, Janoris Jenkins, Michael Brockers, Isaiah Pead and Rokevious Watkins.

Now, Washington could be on the verge of another blockbuster trade, this time, on the other side of the deal.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said that the Redskins could be more than open to dealing this year’s No. 5 pick. The news came on Monday at the NFL Annual Meeting from Arizona.

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So who would be willing to maneuver up in the draft to Washington’s spot?

There has been speculation for weeks now that the New York Jets, who hold the No. 6 pick, are seriously interested in Marcus Mariota. Other teams, like the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns, could be a possibility.

In fact, the Redskins themselves have even expressed serious interest in Mariota.

But would the Redskins really draft another quarterback in the top-five just three years removed from doing the same thing? Especially when Griffin is still under contract for two more seasons?

There are also other needs the Redskins could address, specifically at the defensive and offensive line positions. With a healthy offensive line, maybe Griffin could return to form.

If the Redskins choose to trade back from the No. 5 pick, they’ll have to find a team that is willing to make the right deal. Many teams should be weary about making the same deal that Washington made in 2012 because of how quickly things took a turn for the worse in Washington.

But trading back could end up making the most sense for Washington. If they acquired at least two first-round picks and a reasonable number of second and/or third rounders, then turned those into quality franchise players a la the Rams, everybody in Washington would be happy.

Should Mariota fall to No. 5, the Washington Redskins would have a lot of cards to play. How they play them will have to wait to be seen.

Next: Washington's Eight-Point Third Quarter Results in Loss

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