How the Alex Smith trade to Redskins shakes up Round 1 of the NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise explores how the Alex Smith trade to the Washington Redskins shakes up what could happen in the 2018 NFL Draft and, specifically, if the San Francisco 49ers can benefit.
Tuesday night, the Kansas City Star’s Terez Paylor broke the news the Chiefs were trading veteran quarterback Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins for what appeared to be a third-round NFL Draft pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller– the last, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Smith, 33 years old, unseats soon-to-be-former Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, who won’t have to worry about a third franchise tag in as many seasons. He’ll hit the free-agent market, likely cashing in on one of the more lucrative deals this offseason.
The only question is where.
San Francisco 49ers
Smith to Washington crosses off one team from the list of quarterback-needy teams this offseason. And this, particularly with so many teams in need of a signal-caller this offseason, shakes up what we think will happen in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Redskins are currently slated to pick at No. 13. With Smith close to signing a four-year extension, they probably won’t be thinking QB anytime soon.
And the team signing Cousins won’t either.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers are set to benefit from a quarterback-hungry market. Not in need of a QB themselves (thank you, Jimmy Garoppolo), the Niners can see if top-five talent falls down the NFL Draft board to either the ninth or 10th overall pick, where they’ll pick in Round 1.
But let’s explore a bit deeper what the Smith-to-Washington deal means for the NFL Draft.
Starting off with how the Redskins and Chiefs can benefit.