Newsflash: The Washington Commanders need players at positions other than quarterback. The team’s revamped front office used free agency to minimize pressing needs and increase roster flexibility. Now, officials can set the foundation for the new era by deploying their stockpile of picks in the draft, which starts Thursday night.
Washington is expected to take a quarterback with the second overall pick, but its other selections can’t be isolated from that headliner. As NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah has noted, teams are starting to shift their focus from quarterbacks — who are notoriously hard to project — to their NFL environments.
“Do we have the right play-caller, the right offensive line to protect him, and do we have some guys he can get the ball to?” Jeremiah said. “That seems to be what’s going to lead to these guys being a success or not, more so than even just how good the player at the quarterback position might be.”
As a reminder, the team enters the draft with 10 picks: The No. 2 overall pick, two in the second round (Nos. 36 and 40), three in the third round (Nos. 67, 78 and 100), two in the fifth round (Nos. 139 and 152) and one final pick in the seventh round (No. 222). Here’s a look at some of the team’s other positions of need.
The most glaring need. A popular theory around the NFL is that the Commanders will use their treasure chest of draft capital to trade back into the first round for a tackle. The team cut its starter at left tackle (Charles Leno Jr.) and has a below-average starter on the right (Andrew Wylie).
It would be difficult for Washington to move up far enough to select an elite prospect, such as Notre Dame’s Joe Alt. But if a prospect slides to the middle or end of the first round, the Commanders might be willing to pay to move up. The cost would almost certainly be at least one second-round pick (Washington has the Nos. 36 and 40 picks) and a mid- to late-rounder.
If the Commanders were aggressive, they could target players expected to be taken in the top half of the first round, such as Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga, Penn State’s Olu Fashanu or Washington’s Troy Fautanu. The next tier includes Alabama’s JC Latham, Georgia’s Amarius Mims and Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton.
If the team stayed put, it could target Arizona’s Jordan Morgan or Texas’s Christian Jones in the second round.
“It’s pretty universally known [that] it’s a really good tackle class, deep tackle class,” Commanders General Manager Adam Peters said. “As you can see in a lot of the mock drafts, there’s a ton of those guys coming off in the first round. We got a chance to visit with a lot of ’em and really at different levels. But yeah, we’re really, really excited about that group.”
Cornerback, tight end, and edge rusher are the second tier of the team’s needs. Washington added some reinforcements in free agency but would like to continue upgrading.
Corner tops the second tier because the team only has one veteran who has been a regular starter on the outside (Michael Davis), along with two young players who struggled last year (Emmanuel Forbes and Benjamin St-Juste) and one ascending hybrid with potential in the slot (Quan Martin).
Coach Dan Quinn has a history of success with big corners, from Richard Sherman (in Seattle) to DaRon Bland (in Dallas). The rough profile of a “Quinn corner” seems to be at least 6 feet tall and 190 pounds with 31-inch arms.
In the second round, potential prospects who fit that description include Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry and Iowa State’s T.J. Tampa. Later, there are Oregon’s Khyree Jackson, Mississippi State’s Decamerion Richardson and Notre Dame’s Cam Hart.
It’s arguably the second-most important position in the sport behind quarterback. Washington overhauled its pass rush in free agency with proven, rotational vets who could start. But the team probably wants to draft and develop young players with upside, and experts believe the class is relatively deep.
The second tier of edge rushers, some of whom could be available early in the second round, includes Penn State’s Chop Robinson, Western Michigan’s Marshawn Kneeland, and Missouri’s Darius Robinson. But there are still good prospects projected to be available later, such as Alabama’s Chris Braswell and Penn State’s Adisa Isaac.
The Commanders could take multiple edge rushers, even though they have several young players already on the roster, as teams have consistently invested significant draft capital in the position, according to an analysis by Sumer Sports.
Multiple analysts believe the tight end class is relatively weak. Washington has one veteran pass-catcher (Zach Ertz, signed in free agency), one solid blocker (John Bates) and two question marks (Armani Rogers and Cole Turner), with Rogers returning from a torn Achilles. The team wants more depth and upside here, and it would make sense to draft a tight end in the top 100 picks to pair with the young quarterback.
The question is whether Washington wants to be aggressive and target one in the second tier or wait until later. Experts disagree on who is in the second tier apart from Texas’s Ja’Tavion Sanders. Jeremiah likes Arizona’s Tanner McLachlan and Kansas State’s Ben Sinnott; Dane Brugler from the Athletic prefers Penn State’s Theo Johnson and TCU’s Jared Wiley.
The third tier of needs could also be headlined by linebacker. But considering the Commanders already added a couple of veteran linebackers in free agency, let’s focus on the pass-catchers.
The receiver room has one stud (Terry McLaurin), one promising young player who was at times lost last year (Jahan Dotson), a rarely productive vertical threat on an expiring rookie deal (Dyami Brown), and two serviceable vets (Olamide Zaccheaus and Jamison Crowder).
Good news for the Commanders: The receiver classes are deep and talented every year. There are excellent options all over the board, from early in the second round (Florida State’s Keon Coleman) to late in the seventh (Texas-San Antonio’s Joshua Cephus).
The team could also complement its somewhat undersized corps with bigger targets, such as South Carolina’s Xavier Legette (at 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds) or Florida State’s Johnny Wilson (6-6, 231).
