According to Jason La Canfora 's Twitter Redskins Looking to Move up to Number 2 Pick (Updated: NFL.com headline as well)

[SkinsCrushCowboys]

Unless something is done with the Oline, particulary center...it makes no difference who is back there, just a matter of who is more durable to take the 30+ sacks a year.

[Destructis]

QB is the most important position on the team. No argument. If it was Manning, or Brady, or Marino, or Montana and we had the brilliance to be born with 20-20 hindsight, then yes, it's a no-brainer to give everything you've got for that one out of a hundred franchise QB. The problem is the records of the QB's in this draft don't show that they are anything like the aforementioned QB's. If you're going to trade away picks from this year's and next year's draft to move up, then you better be pretty sure the QB you draft is pretty close to being that franchise QB.

I just love this argument. When Brady, Marino and Montana were drafted, was anyone sure they would produce like they did? Hell in Brady and Montana, Brady was the 7th round and Montana the 3rd if I remember correctly. They weren't even totally sure that Manning was the right choice. They were trying to decide between Peyton and Ryan Leaf.

If Shanny is "pretty sure" then that's about as good as it gets and we take our shot. I am sure the Colt's were "pretty sure" that Manning would be better than Leaf too.

[gorebd82]

Does anyone on this board seriously think that a person like Shanahan, who keeps all his cards close to his chest, will give any indication about whom he might draft or trade with? Especially to a turd like Jason "i have no credible source" Canfora?

I find this report ridiculous and as usual, not credible.

It's likely Denver leaked talks to drive up price

Unless something is done with the Oline, particulary center...it makes no difference who is back there, just a matter of who is more durable to take the 30+ sacks a year.

Doubt Gabbert sees the field this year, if he does it'll be late. Gives us time to keep working on the line. There's also some potential FA help for the line.

[Brotherz]

Quarterbacks make everyone around them better if they are good themselves, trust me, we need a franchise QB, until we have one I don't give a **** how good or bad our o-line, d-line, receivers or secondary is we are still gonna suck. Go get us a QB Shanny. Mortgage the place if you have to, but find our Peyton Manning or Tom Brady and all will be well in Skins country...

This is exactly the kind of thinking I am afraid of. This line of thinking coupled with "he's the best in this draft class" are the kiss of death. We are coupling our need with a comparison of a "class" of players at a certain position. Both are arbitrary measures. In other words, QB's don't get projected to perform any better because we need one. Furthermore, QB's being the best in their "class" requires an analysis of how strong "the class" is!! I am the best white, 37 year old , 275 pound triathlete in my home. That doesn't mean you should bet on me to with the Columbia Tri.

We need an infusion of TALENT on this team at multiple positions. The more talent we add the better we will be as a team. Foregoing talent because we have a need or Shanny only has a 5 year contract or they want to undo the MCnabb mess are all illegitimate reasons to totally REACH by trading next year's top pick for Blaine Gabbert.

We can get a top ten talent with Julio Jones, pick up a Phil Taylor or Stephon Pae, or trade down and get three high value players for a team that was inept on offense and dead worst in defense. Next year we can add more with a full compliment of picks. We can add alot in a rich free agency class too. We can even take a QB at 10 if they want. But we are straight up REACHING to trade that much for Gabbert.

[SkinsCrushCowboys]

It's likely Denver leaked talks to drive up price

Doubt Gabbert sees the field this year, if he does it'll be late. Gives us time to keep working on the line. There's also some potential FA help for the line.

I hope you are right, but we have "been working on the line" for the last 15 years. Although drafting Williams was the first real step in the direction of taking it seriously. I still contend that we need a center, this year. Rabach simply cannot get the job done and the middle is a mess. The free agent thing does not exist with no CBA and no league....the longer this thing drags out the less impactful free agents will be if and when they get here.

[S.T.real,lights,out]

I just love this argument. When Brady, Marino and Montana were drafted, was anyone sure they would produce like they did? Hell in Brady and Montana, Brady was the 7th round and Montana the 3rd if I remember correctly. They weren't even totally sure that Manning was the right choice. They were trying to decide between Peyton and Ryan Leaf.

If Shanny is "pretty sure" then that's about as good as it gets and we take our shot. I am sure the Colt's were "pretty sure" that Manning would be better than Leaf too.

Ummmm what?? Did those teams have to trade away picks for those players? No, that the difference.

[LightningBuggs]

This is exactly the kind of thinking I am afraid of. This line of thinking coupled with "he's the best in this draft class" are the kiss of death. We are coupling our need with a comparison of a "class" of players at a certain position. Both are arbitrary measures. In other words, QB's don't get projected to perform any better because we need one. Furthermore, QB's being the best in their "class" requires an analysis of how strong "the class" is!! I am the best white, 37 year old , 275 pound triathlete in my home. That doesn't mean you should bet on me to with the Columbia Tri.

We need an infusion of TALENT on this team at multiple positions. The more talent we add the better we will be as a team. Foregoing talent because we have a need or Shanny only has a 5 year contract or they want to undo the MCnabb mess are all illegitimate reasons to totally REACH by trading next year's top pick for Blaine Gabbert.

We can get a top ten talent with Julio Jones, pick up a Phil Taylor or Stephon Pae, or trade down and get three high value players for a team that was inept on offense and dead worst in defense. Next year we can add more with a full compliment of picks. We can add alot in a rich free agency class too. We can even take a QB at 10 if they want. But we are straight up REACHING to trade that much for Gabbert.

Can I get an "AMEN"?

Been saying exactly this all week. Great post, my friend. You have my vote for GM.

[Stricknine]

Im with Brotherz too. As I said earlier...if Gabbert slips to 10, by all means...grab him. Please dont trade up to 2.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Rabach simply cannot get the job done and the middle is a mess.

Agree.

The free agent thing does not exist with no CBA and no league....the longer this thing drags out the less impactful free agents will be if and when they get here.

Disagree. Players won't be allowed to practice together (by and large) until we're allowed to sign FAs, so it's not like the new players on any given team are the only ones missing out. I think any FA acquisition will be able to have enough time to have an impact.

[Skinsinparadise]

Does anyone on this board seriously think that a person like Shanahan, who keeps all his cards close to his chest, will give any indication about whom he might draft or trade with? Especially to a turd like Jason "i have no credible source" Canfora?

I find this report ridiculous and as usual, not credible.

And as far as drafting a qb goes, if Shanahan does believe in a qb, then a team's priority becomes obtaining that qb. Donks like Jason Ried, Jason Canstandya, or any Jasons, will argue that you build a team first then find a qb.

I believe it all starts with the qb. Thats the difference in getting Jake Long vs Matt Ryan, or Trent Williams vs Sam Bradford. It could set a franchise back for years

JLC was one of the guys getting the Cutler to Redskins trade story out years back, I recall him saying on his blog at the time he had a very good source with Denver. Agree this could be a smoke screen but it doesn't seem impossible to me that its true

[wilbur58z]

Shanahan traded up just 4 spots to get Cutler. He gave up a 3rd rounder to do so.

[Destructis]

Ummmm what?? Did those teams have to trade away picks for those players? No, that the difference.

Clearly you didn't read what I quoted. He was saying that it is ok to give up everything for that one in a hundred QB. Then listed those QB's by name. No one did give up everything for them because there are going to be questions about every QB. The best you will ever get is a "pretty sure" they will be great. He was talking about the quality of the QB's and Gabbart compares to every QB on that list when they were in college.

[redskins55]

I don't think we are even close to being one of the favorites for the #1 pick next year. We are not doing great, but there are teams that are in much worse shape than us, with much harder schedules.

Please tell me what team has the possibility to finish worse than us next year. If we trade McNabb, dont resign Grossman, dont resign Moss,trade Haynesworth, dont resign Rogers,dont resign McIntoch. any two of these scenarios means we'll be in official rebuilding mode. Plus we play the AFC East along with our always tough NFC East. Pats, Jets, @ Buffalo, @ Miami. I honestly think we'll be lucky to win 3 games next year. We should draft the best players available,stay put and prepare for the looong season with hopefully a lot of "LUCK" at the end! (Andrew Luck that is!!)

[washedup2]

........Agree "set the team back years" is overused...We will draft Locker at #10

[redskins55]

We can get a top ten talent with Julio Jones, pick up a Phil Taylor or Stephon Pae, or trade down and get three high value players for a team that was inept on offense and dead worst in defense. Next year we can add more with a full compliment of picks. We can add alot in a rich free agency class too. We can even take a QB at 10 if they want. But we are straight up REACHING to trade that much for Gabbert.

Exactly.. to many good options on the table to risk everything on a reach.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Please tell me what team has the possibility to finish worse than us next year. If we trade McNabb, dont resign Grossman, dont resign Moss,trade Haynesworth, dont resign Rogers,dont resign McIntoch. any two of these scenarios means we'll be in official rebuilding mode. Plus we play the AFC East along with our always tough NFC East. Pats, Jets, @ Buffalo, @ Miami. I honestly think we'll be lucky to win 3 games next year. We should draft the best players available,stay put and prepare for the looong season with hopefully a lot of "LUCK" at the end! (Andrew Luck that is!!)

I can't predict the future...but do you really believe that we'll go from 6 wins to 2-3 wins in our second year under Shanahan? That's essentially what it will take to pick first.

[The Full Monty]

Well, on second thought, if Schefter hasn't said anything, it has no merit.

[derskinsfan]

Not so sure how I feel about moving to 2 to get Gabbert, but kind of intrigued about the idea of moving to 2 under the terms being leaked.

If we can get to 2 for next year's 1 and 3, why couldn't we recoup more picks this year by trading back from 2? We'd basically be offering the chance for any team to pick basically any of the players they want from what is considered the cream of the crop on defense. We could move back to mid first round and get a quality player (maybe even a QB we like) at a better value and get another 2 or 3 or 4 thrown in.

Why would we get a better deal than what the Broncos are (or aren't) hearing offers for? Maybe we wouldn't. But we might be able to get more picks THIS draft, and probably better picks than what we'd be able to field from the 10 spot.

Too complicated to be real, I'm sure. But maybe a possible strategy? Maybe Gabbert is the smokescreen for how to use the pick, but the trade for the pick itself is real?

[Bliz]

Lies! Lies, I tell you!

I don't believe this for a second

[Skinsinparadise]

QB is the most important position on the team. No argument. If it was Manning, or Brady, or Marino, or Montana and we had the brilliance to be born with 20-20 hindsight, then yes, it's a no-brainer to give everything you've got for that one out of a hundred franchise QB. The problem is the records of the QB's in this draft don't show that they are anything like the aforementioned QB's. If you're going to trade away picks from this year's and next year's draft to move up, then you better be pretty sure the QB you draft is pretty close to being that franchise QB..

There are a lot of presumptions here. 1.Giving everything you've got -- we don't know what the compensation is, some people are assuming its crazy but we have no clue. 2. Gabbert is considered in almost every mock as a sure fire top 10, heck top 5 is more accurate. correct me if i am wrong but Dan Marino wasn't considered a top 5 guy -- how do you know he was judged as better back then? 3. if Shanny is making this trade -- seems off for us to presume he's not pretty sure about this. it would seem insane for him and Kyle to be sitting in a room together and saying look, lets go nuts, thus guy 50/50 at best will make it in the NFL, this dude is nothing special, he's just the best QB of a bad lot, lets stake our rep on this dude. Yeah they can be wrong about Gabbert but it seems a bit silly to me to think if they do this that they don't love this guy and they believe they likely have this right.

I don't see it in these QB's. Worth a 10th pick? Debatable. Worth this year's and next year's first or this year's first and second? No. We traded away the future for McNabb and now we're going to trade away the future again on an unproven commodity. Didn't drafting Ramsey and Campbell teach the Skins anything? The QB is a part of the team. .

Drafting Ramsey and Campbell IMO is exactly why you pull the trigger on this deal. Ramsey and Campbell represent the iffy type prospects -- the Dalton types, yeah maybe they can come through but few were saying they are bonafide franchise Qbs. Gabbert is top 5 in this draft most say he's the best Qb in the draft, many say he's either a franchise QB or potentially one. That was not the buzz about JC and Ramsey in fact the buzz around those guys are very similar to the Ponder, Dalton stuff -- they might be drafted in the late first but shouldn't be, etc. Yeah Gabbert has some detractors, most QB prospects have them including Bradford last year. But yeah IMO Gabbert is the anti-Campbell/Ramsey pick. if we go with one of the 2nd tier guys, then we are going back to the Ramsey/Campbell route IMO.

---------- Post added April-27th-2011 at 02:46 PM ----------

Shanahan traded up just 4 spots to get Cutler. He gave up a 3rd rounder to do so.

ok, what are we allegedly giving up in this trade?

[amm0409]

Blain Gabbert:) oh boy here we go again. Hope someone watched the special on the draft with Bill Parcells! Trade back, or if we would ever trade up (why not AJ Green or Von Miller beside Orakpo?)

[tex]

could be Shanny is trying to leverage the 10th overall pick for everything he can get in a trade down. could go something like: look, we are trying to trade up for our franchise qb but if you want to make us a killer offer we are listening.

[The Tris]

Shanahan traded up just 4 spots to get Cutler. He gave up a 3rd rounder to do so.

After trading away vets, and trading down in the 2006 draft, Shanahan did trade up for Cutler. The difference was, that year he had multiple firsts (from the Jason Campbell trade up we made) and second round picks to work with.

Much different situation where he had far more resources to move a far shorter distance.

[ExoDus84]

No. This is ridiculous. There is no way Gabbert goes #2. If anything, Cam will be the first QB taken, and gabbert will fall a few spots. If we are seriously going to make a play for him, we sure as hell wouldn't need to trade up to #2 to get him. He may very well be there at 10, and should be there after pick 6 or 7.

[Lavarleap56]

Schefter follows the rules. The fact he hasn't came out and refuted the report speaks volumes.