ASHBURN, Va. – It’s “lying season,” as they say in the NFL. Some rumors make sense, some don’t. Some are complete fabrications.
The Atlanta Falcons wanting to trade out of No. 4 makes all the sense in the world. In a QB-driven class with five potential franchise signal-callers, Atlanta needs to decide on the status of Matt Ryan.
New head coach Arthur Smith may be content with Ryan. New GM Terry Fontenot would like to go young. For now, maybe it’s smarter to move back and garner more picks.
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The Washington Football Team being a potential mover to that spot doesn’t make much sense, as discussed both here on Washington SI and on the “Locked on Washington Football Team” podcast with David Harrison and myself.
None of this will won’t stop the rumor mill from flowing and sometimes bubbling over. We would never rule anything completely out the way draft boards could fall, either.
NFL Insider Albert Breer of The MMQB answered this question from at WFT fan in his most recent mailbag. Below are Breer’s thoughts on the current of WFT’s draft plan.
“Right now, I’d say a move into the top 10 is unlikely. Why? Well, Washington has a new GM, Martin Mayhew, and personnel chief, Marty Hurney. And though they got their ticket to the playoffs punched simply by winning the worst division in football (history?), the team that was in the playoffs last year has a roster that looks, on paper, like it’s got enough to continue to contend.
“So as I see it, Washington has a shot here to continue building up an already promising group with its draft capital, around a suitable-for-now answer at quarterback, in Ryan Fitzpatrick.
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Now, is it possible one of the top quarterback prospects will slip past 10, and Washington (currently picking 19th) will decide to make a short move up? Sure. But I wouldn’t say it’s likely. A move into the top 10 would surprise me.”
It would surprise us, too, Albert. Coach Ron Rivera’s comments tend to lean towards WFT being set. Now, should a North Dakota State’s Trey Lance or Ohio State’s Justin Fields fall in range, all bets are off.
For now, we will stick with our belief: there’s no reason for the Washington to be reckless with their selections.
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