Offensive line remains a need for Washington, which has several options in the first round

But if it stands pat, it’s plausible Washington looks to bolster its offensive line, be it with a tackle or a guard — or, better yet, a prospect with the versatility to play multiple spots. Rivera and his coaching staff have stressed the importance of position flexibility across the roster, and last year they relied heavily on players who could move around, including along the line.

But Washington’s need up front goes beyond 2021. The team franchise-tagged starting right guard Brandon Scherff for the second consecutive season, and while Scherff and the team have until July 15 to reach a long-term deal, Rivera said earlier this month that nothing has changed. The sides haven’t talked since Scherff signed his tag, meaning his future beyond this season is unclear.

And then there’s left tackle. Washington was pleasantly surprised by the play of Cornelius Lucas last year, but is he viewed as a potential long-term answer at the position? And will Saahdiq Charles, who is recovering from knee surgery after playing two snaps his rookie season, be groomed as a guard or tackle going forward?

“It’s up in the air, to be honest,” Rivera said of Charles. “… We know he has the ability to play left side, right side, guard or tackle. He’s a young man that has dimension to his game. We’re pretty excited about having him back on the football field.”

With a dynamic running game led by Antonio Gibson, a new quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick and a deeper receiving corps featuring Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel, Scott Turner’s offense will be held together by the front five. Luckily for Washingon, this year’s tackle class is relatively deep. But its talent level doesn’t compare to the Class of 2020, which featured Tristan Wirfs, Mekhi Becton and Jedrick Wills.

“I just don’t see any of these guys at that level,” NFL Network analyst and former offensive lineman Brian Baldinger said. “It’s a very deep draft with tackles, but I don’t think there’s a dominant player at that position.”

Baldinger and other analysts project Christian Darrisaw as an option for Washington at No. 19. Born in Petersburg, Va., Darrisaw (6-foot-5, 322 pounds) attended Riverdale Baptist in Upper Marlboro, roughly six miles from FedEx Field, before heading to Fork Union Military Academy and then Virginia Tech. In three seasons, he started 35 games at left tackle in the Hokies’ zone scheme.

General Manager Martin Mayhew attended Darrisaw’s pro day in Blacksburg last month and then hosted him on a Zoom call that included offensive line coach John Matsko the following day. Darrisaw said in an interview with NFL Network that playing for Washington would be “a dream come true” after growing up as a fan of the team.

“I like Christian Darrisaw a lot,” Baldinger said. “I think he’s got the size. I think he can play left tackle if that’s what they’re looking for. Cornelius Lucas played well last year, but if they’re looking to bring a guy in … I like Darrisaw.”

Former Washington safety and current ESPN analyst Matt Bowen echoed Baldinger’s assessment, adding that Darrisaw is “an easy mover in blocking and pass protection and climbing to the second level in the run game.” In 293 pass-blocking snaps last season, he allowed zero sacks or quarterback hits, according to Pro Football Focus.

But Bowen is partial to another lineman who could be available at No. 19: Alijah Vera-Tucker out of Southern California. Many analysts believe Vera-Tucker (6-4, 308 pounds) will be better suited as a guard in the NFL, in part because his arms measured only 32⅛ inches.

“The thing we get caught up in is we look at the measurables so much and we say if someone as an offensive tackle doesn’t have 34-plus-inch arms, they can’t play. I don’t necessarily agree with that,” Bowen said. “I think in today’s NFL, if you have lateral agility on the edge, if you can drop anchor to take on power and you can allow your quarterback to get to the top of the drop and throw the football, then you can play that position. I think Vera-Tucker can play tackle, and I think he’s going to be available around that area of the first round.”

Although Vera-Tucker’s playing time was limited to only 19 starts at USC, he played 13 of them at left guard in 2019 and six at left tackle last season — after serving as a backup right guard in 2018.

“He can play darn near anywhere,” said NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, who projected Washington taking Vera-Tucker at No. 19 in his latest mock draft. “I think he’s going to be an all-pro guard. He can hold up at tackle if you wanted him to, but if you want to get better along that offensive line, I think he’s one of the cleanest, safest picks in the whole draft.”

This year more than ever, NFL teams will have to rely heavily on their scouting departments in projecting prospect fits because medical information is limited, interactions with players are primarily confined to Zoom calls and recent game tape for some — such as Northwestern tackle Rashawn Slater and Oregon’s Penei Sewell, both of whom are potential top-10 picks — doesn’t exist. Both players opted out of the 2020 season.

“The hard part is a lot of those guys that we’re looking at this year … you don’t know if they’ve taken the next step,” Rivera said. “You have nothing to compare their growth to.”

That projection could be even more difficult along the offensive line.

“Only if the guy opted out and all they did was they were only in the spread, only in a two-point, their run game was really only a zone scheme,” Rivera added. “That’s where the projection comes in, especially for a team like us that runs counter, plant and traps, runs a gap scheme basically.”

And that’s where prospects coming out of more pro-style systems might make more sense for Washington — including prospects such as Dillon Radunz (6-6, 301), who served as Trey Lance’s blind-side tackle at North Dakota State.

NDSU played only one game last season, and Radunz missed all of 2017 because of an ACL injury after redshirting 2016. And all 32 of his starts were against Football Bowl Subdivision teams, so his play requires context. But he was a team captain and consensus all-American at left tackle in 2019, and he was voted practice player of the week at the Senior Bowl in Miami, with both executive vice president of football and player personnel Marty Hurney and Mayhew in attendance.

“This guy reads really well. The way he moves, he’s really smart and instinctive, he’s tough, he’s good in the run game, he had a great Senior Bowl week,” Jeremiah said. “ … I could see him maybe going up there a little higher than we initially expected. … He’s an intriguing player.”