Charlie Campbell of Walter Football reported this week that the Commanders had inquiries about trading the No. 2 pick at last week’s NFL Scouting Combine, but ‘refused to start going down that road’ and ‘rejected the trade offers and kind of rough parameters and said they're gonna stick at No. 2.’
Those quotes were from Campbell as he joined Grant & Danny for a little football talk during their final day at Nats Spring Training Wednesday to explain his reporting.
“It looks like they've zeroed in on taking a quarterback, and they’re still going through the process as to which quarterback that will be – I haven't heard that they've settled on a guy, but it’s still early,” Campbell said. “That process is still playing out, but they've told teams they aren't interested in trading down, and I got the sense it was very committed – they weren’t trying to drive up the price or start a bidding war or anything like that. It sounded like they listened in the beginning of the process, but they're settled in now and they're sticking at two.”
And, Campbell thinks that’s the right move.
“I think moving down to take a different quarterback other than the Top 3 could be a huge mistake. I think they're fortunate enough that they have the second overall pick in a year with three legit top quarterbacks,” he said. “That gives you your second choice at worst and potentially your first choice – if they prefer the guy that the Bears don't take at No. 1, then you get him and you don't have to give up a huge amount of picks to move up like Carolina did last year or San Francisco did for Trey Lance. It was a rough season but it could bear some really excellent fruit for them in the form of a young franchise quarterback they can build around for the next 10 to 15 years, so definitely, I think they are making the smart move to turn down these trade offers.”
Like GP does, Campbell believes that if you do it right the first time, you won’t have another shot at a pick this high, so take advantage before ‘you're desperate and forced into it.’
“They didn’t get specific as to offer, we just heard we asked if they would be willing to move down and they said no,” Campbell said. “They sound really committed to sticking there at No. 2, because some of these other teams are picking in the Top 10 so you're not having to drop too far, but you're definitely gonna miss out on the Top 3 QBs if you move down. You don’t know when you're gonna be here again.”
That said, is there a ‘Godfather’ deal that may be too good to refuse?
“I think that would have to be at least three if not four first round picks, but no one has offered that kind of deal yet to my knowledge,” Campbell said. “I think that would really be one where you'd have to think about it, because at least then, when you know you have multiple first round picks for three or four years in a row, you can deal future draft picks potentially to move up for one next year or the year after. But it's still so pie in the sky because next year, what if that draft class only has one quarterback, and it’s like a couple years ago when Kenny Pickett was the only quarterback to go in the first round, but he wasn't a high first round caliber prospect? You just don't know what's gonna be coming down in the future, you can't count on it, and as we all know, in the NFL, owners’ patience runs out and this league is not for long, so you gotta start that building process to become a winner immediately.”
Take a listen above to Campbell’s entire segment, where he also gives his tier rankings of the top QBs, the ‘risk vs. reward’ of the Top 3, what he’s heard of Washington’s possible proclivities, and more!
