With the 2020 NFL Draft fast approaching on April 23, too much time has been spent on dissecting what the Redskins should do with the second overall pick.
There's a glaring hole on the Redskins' roster that likely won't be addressed in the first round: replacing Trent Williams. That's no small feat, to be sure, as their longtime left tackle is widely regarded as one of the best at his position, maybe even one of the best players in the NFL.
A decade after Mike Shanahan spent a fourth overall pick bringing him to Washington, the Redskins are long overdue in finding the next Trent Williams. The Redskins need to get second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins some better protection if he's to have a puncher's chance of surviving next season. This late in the offseason, spending draft capital may be the only way to do it.
They may have their guy in LSU tackle Saahdiq Charles, someone who literally hopes to be the next Trent Williams.
"I love Trent Williams, man. That's probably my favorite player," Charles told RADIO.COM Sports at the Scouting Combine. "He's physical. He's nasty. He can run. He can move. He can bend. All the attributes I kind of identify myself with."
At 6-foot-4 and 321 pounds, Charles even fits the physical profile. But being around the same size as Williams (Charles is an inch shorter) doesn't necessarily make him so.
Measurables: 6'4" 321 lbs. | 40 Time: 5.05
College: LSU | Class: Junior | Age: 20
Awards: 2019 Joe Moore Award Winner (Nation's Top Offensive Line)
The Redskins have a unique situation on their hands, owning the second most valuable pick in the draft but without another pick until the third round (66th overall). Outside of trading the second overall pick for additional selections, that means they'll have to get creative to find talent as the draft pushes into its middle rounds.
Redskins Draft Order: Round 1 (2nd overall), Round 3 (66), Round 4 (108, 142), Round 5 (148), Round 7 (216, 229)
What They're Saying
Benjamin Solak of The Draft Network writes: "Take his 10 best plays from every game, it'll look like Lane Johnson's film. Take his 10 worst plays and I don't even think he's draftable. ...I have Charles as a top-70 player because he not only has starting potential but has high-caliber starting potential."
The website describes Charles as "a high ceiling, low floor prospect."
Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports issued a "buyer beware" tag for Charles over character concerns, which included a six-game suspension during LSU's national championship 2019 season. As a result of these warnings, multiple teams have removed Charles from their draft boards altogether, Edholm writes.
NFL.com gives Charles a prospect grade of 6.20, classifying him as a "good backup who could become a starter." NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein says Charles "lacks desired tackle size and is still a work in progress, but he has enough traits to warrant consideration as a swing tackle with guard potential."
Online projections have Charles going anywhere from the second to the fourth rounds, some later. Considering those character concerns, there's a chance he falls even further. But would Ron Rivera really want to welcome an unneeded problem into his locker room when his top priority is rebuilding the Redskins' culture? Maybe, if he believes the upside is worth the warts, and he can find value in Charles in the later rounds as a reclamation project deserving of a chance to prove himself at the NFL level.
As a Hurricane Katrina survivor whose family resettled in Mississippi, Charles is no stranger to overcoming adversity. Perhaps Rivera can unlock that fire inside and compel Charles to reach his NFL potential.
