2018 Mock Drafts

Hernandez and Scherff at the guard spots would be plain nasty

Yes to this.....
Sorry to sound like a broken record.
Fixing the lines is a foundation building block. Finish the foundation, then buy the Lambo (high end RB) to put in the garage. We do not have the garage or the roads to drive a Lambo on yet to keep it safe. It is the learning to walk before you learn to run thing.
Prioritizing the team roster building process has been a serious problem for our Front office.
After the top 4 guards there is a huge drop off in talent in this guard draft class. I heard multiple talent evaluators say it. There is no immediate starter - plug and play Guard projected to be there after the early part of round 2. This has to play into our decision.
For Allen, Gruden and Snyder this might not be a concern, they like shiny Lambo's. They can not help themselves.

Part of me says no thanks at 13, the other part of me says the dude is a beast and fills a big hole

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/will-hernandez?id=32462018-0002-5598-2873-8029092a1ebf

It seems to me that, except for the very top players, there are a lot of players in this draft who have grades that might justify their being drafted anywhere from mid-1st to mid-2nd. That being the case, I think that the Skins will work hard to identify "their" players, the ones they most want to draft, and go after them with conviction.

I'm suggesting that if a Guard is one of "their" players and he's available at #13 they might well take him at #13 rather than roll the dice that he'll be there later. Conventional wisdom about taking a Guard too high just might not faze them one bit.

Fitzpatrick or James is the dream scenario for me right now.
If they're both gone, trade back would be my hope.
If they're both gone and we stay...? Roquan Smith or Denzel Ward.

I'm going to be disappointed if all of those guys are gone. Pretty unlikely assuming 4 qbs go top 12.

Those 4 qbs plus Barkley, Chubb & Nelson are pretty much guaranteed. Just need two "other" picks to get one of those guys.

I could also live with Vea if we stay at 13.

Who says that? From what I've seen of him, he's has everything I would want in a safety. I think he is a playmaker with rare physical gifts who is destined to be an NFL star. I would love for the Skins pick him at #13.

BTW, draft history has proven that many top players have been drafted by teams who did not bring them in for visits - so I consider pre-draft visits to be irrelevant in predicting draft picks.

https://247sports.com/college/florida-state/Bolt/Could-FSUs-Derwin-James-be-a-linebacker-in-the-NFL-114096381

Saw an article on him from PFF on twitter saying he could play a hybrid role as well. I'm not saying dont draft the guy or I'd dislike the pick by any means but we need DL and OL first

Range in the defensive backfield changes everything. Remember when Taylor was at his peak? His range allowed Gregg to run those single high looks, and the corners could still play extremely aggressively because they knew Sean was back there. Even from single high he had their backs. It completely freed up Ryan Clark to roam and hit.

Minkah and James will permit the same thing. You could put them man to man against Ertz and wipe him out of the Eagles offense on a crucial 3rd and 6. Or you could put them back at safety and run corner blitzes.

They will change the way we can scheme and make everything more aggressive. It's an increasingly important position in the NFL.

Range in the defensive backfield changes everything. Remember when Taylor was at his peak? His range allowed Gregg to run those single high looks, and the corners could still play extremely aggressively because they knew Sean was back there. Even from single high he had their backs. It completely freed up Ryan Clark to roam and hit.

Minkah and James will permit the same thing. You could put them man to man against Ertz and wipe him out of the Eagles offense on a crucial 3rd and 6. Or you could put them back at safety and run corner blitzes.

They will change the way we can scheme and make everything more aggressive. It's an increasingly important position in the NFL.

I didn't want to mention the great Sean Taylor in a post about these players. Nevertheless, I agree with your points about them. Without comparing their potential to what he accomplished, it is indeed their range that excites me most about them because what I think they could do for our defense reminds me of what Sean Taylor did for our defense when he played.