Should the Washington Redskins Trade Back in 2015 NFL Draft?

In short order, new general manager Scot McCloughan has taken the necessary steps in free agency to remake the Washington Redskins defense.

He's bid adieu to four starters from last year's defense and plugged in the likes of Chris Culliver, Terrance Knighton and Stephen Paea.

If only that filled all of Washington's needs.

Whether you point to the offensive line, pass rush or secondary, McCloughan still has his work cut out for him. With just $11.73 million remaining in cap space, per Over the Cap, via CSN's Rich Tandler, these are holes the team will have to fill through the draft.

While the Skins have their full allotment of draft picks for the first time since 2012, the potential is there for them to acquire more picks because of their place in the first round.

Owner of the No. 5 overall pick, Washington, in the opinion of ESPN's Todd McShay (h/t Liz Clarke of The Washington Post), would be best served trading this pick.

"If you can get a good deal to move out, I think they’d be better served, given the lacks of picks they’ve had in recent years obviously as a result of the RG3 trade,” he said.

But what constitutes a good deal? And who would the team target if it moved down?

Let's examine these two questions.

Prospects to Target

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The signing of safety Jeron Johnson was a step in the right direction, but the fact remains that Washington needs to bolster its safety spot with a long-term option.

With that in mind, drafting Landon Collins makes a lot of sense. Scouts Inc.'s top-rated safety, Collins has been compared to T.J. Ward by CBSSports.com's Rob Rang and Dane Brugler.

"If allowed to attack, Collins' aggression, physicality and knack for creating big plays could lead to him becoming a star in the NFL," they said.

So why not take Collins at No. 5, right? Well, he's a safety. Dating back to 1991, only three safeties—Eric Turner, Eric Berry and the late Sean Taylor—have gone that high.

Undeserving of going in the top 10 or not, though, it doesn't mean someone won't draft him there. He's the only safety Scouts Inc. has given a first-round grade, after all.

This brings us to our next target: Brandon Scherff.

Is he a guard or a tackle? On one end, he's CBSSports.com's top-rated tackle. But NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, for one, feels Scherff is better suited to play guard at the next level.

Knowing that only two guards have been selected in the top 10 since 2000, Chance Warmack and Josh Cooper, the debate over Scherff's position alone should take him out of consideration to go fifth overall. This doesn't take away from the fact that he can bolster the Skins' offensive line, though.

As it stands, Trent Williams and Kory Lichtensteiger are the only above-average linemen Washington has, per Pro Football Focus.

An All-American at Iowa, in the words of CBSSports.com's Dane Brugler and Rob Rang, "Scherff boasts the talent and toughness to stand out immediately."

Last but not least, Washington has to replace Brian Orakpo. Even with him, its pass rush has only produced 36 sacks in each of the past two seasons.

Thankfully, the 2015 NFL draft is stocked with pass-rushers. Six of the top 16 prospects on Mel Kiper Jr.'s Big Board specialize in getting after the quarterback.

But outside of Leonard Williams, who exclusively plays along the defensive line, there isn't much consensus on who the top pass-rusher is. Randy Gregory, Dante Fowler Jr., Shane Ray and Vic Beasley—even Bud Dupree—all have their supporters.

Provided Washington stays within the top 15 picks of the draft, it should be able to net an impact player at a position of need.

Cost of Trading Back

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Looking at the value chart teams use for NFL draft picks, via Scott Wright of DraftCountdown.com, the Redskins' No. 5 overall pick carries a numerical value of 1,700.

So, hypothetically, if Washington was to trade back to, say, the 16th overall pick, the Houston Texans would have to surrender a second-, third- and fourth-round pick to come close to matching this value.

With news that they offered a first-round pick for Sam Bradford, per NFL Media's Charlie Casserly, the Cleveland Browns stand to be the most realistic trade partner for the Skins.

It's no secret the Browns are in the market for a quarterback. And it just so happens that, in Kiper's most recent mock draft, one Marcus Mariota is projected to be available when Washington picks fifth overall.

Johnny Manziel or not, per NFL.com's Albert Breer, Cleveland has shown interest in Mariota:

The owners of two first-round picks, the Browns would have to at least fork over the 12th overall pick, along with their second- and fifth-round picks this year, to consummate a trade with Washington, according to Wright's value chart.

Knowing franchise cornerstones Ryan Kerrigan, Trent Williams and (hopefully) Robert Griffin III are due contract extensions, the team could very well be pressed against the cap in the near future.

With that in mind, not only is this a potential trade the team should accept, but, overall, the Redskins should be actively shopping their pick.

Washington has had one playoff berth in the past seven seasons. If that's to change, the team needs an influx of young and, most importantly, cheap talent. By trading back in the first round, it could get just that.