At one point during the pre-draft process, it would have seemed highly unlikely for one team to walk away with the first-round haul the Washington Redskins found themselves with. In a mix of patience and agressive draft posturing, Washington found itself drafting two players that were highly coveted by the front office.
The first was quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who fell to Washington at No. 15 even after there was some talk that they would trade all the way up into the top five to get him. And the second was a player they really did trade up for: pass rusher Montez Sweat. Washington traded its second-round pick and 2020 second-round pick to Indianapolis for the 26th overall pick, which it used to select him.
Sweat was considered a Top 10 pick until talk that a heart condition could make it dangerous for him to play. Sweat insists that the heart condition was misdiagnosed and he’s fine to play, as he did in college without issue.
Washington coach Jay Gruden said that the team’s doctors are satisfied with Sweat’s health and the coaches love what he does on the field.
Asked where Sweat was on the draft board, Gruden said, “High. Very high, yes. Very, very high. . . . I think he’s a perfect fit for us.”
If Sweat is a perfect fit as a pass rusher, and Haskins becomes the franchise quarterback of the future, this will be a draft that could set the team up for a decade of strong play, in a division that appears ever more open at the top.
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