Former NFL GM Michael Lombardi has dropped another Washington Football Team bombshell, saying he thinks they're going to be the next team to "unload all their picks" in an effort to move up and select quarterback Trey Lance in the draft.
"I think Washington is going to be the next team to unload all their picks to try to get a quarterback," Lombardi said on 'The GM Shuffle' podcast. "I think they love Lance. I don't think, I know Washington loves Lance. And so, will they trade up to get Lance? That remains to be seen.
The first two picks in the draft are virtual locks, with the Jaguars and Jets likely to take Clemson's Trevor Lawrence and BYU's Zach Wilson, respectively. No. 3 is where things get interesting. The 49ers just traded a boatload of picks to move up to three, signaling there's one quarterback they really like. Whether that's Alabama's Mac Jones, Ohio State's Justin Fields, or Lance from North Dakota State, is anyone's guess, but many have speculated Jones is their guy. Which would leave Fields and Lance on the board.
And with Atlanta reportedly willing to trade out of that spot, it could create an opportunity for Washington — or another team — to move up and grab him at four. The next picks are the Bengals (5), Dolphins (6), Lions (7), Panthers (8) and Broncos (9), so there is a little wiggle room for Lance to fall.
Lombardi says Washington's front office has a big decision to make.
"Is it worth it to forfeit some draft picks? Because they've got a really good team," he said. "And if they get this quarterback, they could really move up. It may just happen on the day of the draft, where Lance goes or what Atlanta does. Atlanta's gonna try to get a king's ransom for the pick, certainly, and we'll see if they can."
Washington head coach Ron Rivera said one week ago that after signing veteran QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, there's no pressure for them to draft their quarterback of the future, although he left the door open for the possibility.
"Well, we'll see. I can't tell you how things are going to unfold once we get into the draft," Rivera told reporters last Thursday. "We're going to react to what's gonna happen in front of us. Picking where we're picking, there's a lot of things that can happen. We have targets, we have ideas, we have guys that we like, but that always changes just because of the fact that everybody has a choice. And so you just never know what's gonna happen at that point."
After listening to the quotes, Lombardi gave his reading-between-the-lines interpretation of what Rivera was really saying.
"They're going to wait till that draft. And if Trey Lance starts to slide, they're gonna go get his ass," Lombardi said. "That's what he's saying right there. They're gonna go get his ass. 'We're going to react to what happens in front of us.' He's not lying. Ron's just being totally honest."
"Now, do they want to go up to four and guarantee them that they get Trey Lance," he continued. "Atlanta probably wants two number ones in future years and so it's too expensive, so it's cost effective for them to sit there and wait to see what happens. I'm sure they're engaged in conversations with Atlanta. But I think that that's where they are. I think they want Trey Lance. I think they're willing to go get him. I think they want to do it in a way to where they can minimize their cost."
"And so the only way you can do that is get on the clock and wait for that draft to start," he said. "Wait for: Who goes four? Who goes five? Who's at six? Maybe I can get to six and they'll be willing to move down, and I'll give 'em next year's one and yada, yada, yada. And move on that way."
"For me, I think that they want competition," Lombardi said. "Fitzpatrick's gonna be the starter Opening Day. I don't think there's any doubt about that. He's a better player than Andy Dalton. The reality is, how long can Fitzy go for? And it's the perfect guy.
"Say they draft Trey Lance and they've got Fitzy. And they've got Taylor Heinicke and they've got Kyle Allen over there. They've got four quarterbacks, right? So they let Fitzy start the season off, they redshirt Lance and they go into the year. And next year in 2022, they're ready to go. They've got their quarterback for the future."
It's probably worth mentioning Washington was out in full force at Lance's pro day in March, sending GM Martin Mayhew and OC Scott Turner to attend.
