Post Draft Commanders Thoughts

Draft season is over. The Commanders came out of the weekend with five new players. All the dream classes you thought up are now and forever gone. The mid-round sleepers you picked out from online research are (most likely) on different teams. Maybe Washington can snag them in a year or two or three. Who knows what will happen.

But now that the dust has settled, it is time to take a look at what Washington did do. I'll compare my pre-draft thoughts to what Washington did.

1) Trade Down: Well, this didn't happen. I think everyone expected/wanted the Commanders to trade back to acquire more picks in this draft, and Adam Peters said prior to the draft that he was open to anything. But it takes two to tango, and apparently there were not two willing parties to make a deal happen. The curveball, however, is that it was Washington that didn't want to make a deal. After making the first two picks, Peters told the media he didn't want to trade and risk missing out on Josh Conerly and Trey Amos. Peters made some good trades on draft day last year, so it's a bit disappointing he didn't wheel and deal this year, but if we're gonna let Adam cook, then we need to trust him and the front office when they see talented players that they just have to take.

2) Don't trade down too far: No trades, so not much to discuss here. But I do want to point out that KC and Philly swapped picks, which was something I was pushing for Washington to do.

3) Skew towards defense: This also turned out differently than my pre-draft thoughts. But I'm not super worried about it. Basically,  they went RB in Round 7 instead of taking a flyer on a defensive player. 

4) Donovan Ezeiruaku: This was the guy I wanted with their first pick. Obviously, Peters and company graded Conerly higher. I'm not going to argue with the front office, but we are going to see how this choice turns out because Dallas picked Eziruaku in round 2. That's a great situation for him as he will likely get to see a lot of one on one matchups opposite Micah Parsons. Tunsil and Conerly vs. Parsons and Ezeirauku will be a fun matchup over the next two seasons (or more).

5) Speed, baby: One of the traits I wanted the Commanders to target was speed, and, boy, they sure did. Look at the forty times for their last four draft picks. Trey Amos: 4.43; Jaylin Lane: 4.34; Kain Medrano: 4.46; Jacory Croskey-Merrit: 4.45. That's good speed all around and among the tops at their position groups. And it's not like Conerly is slow, either. He ran a 5.05 with a 10-yard split of 1.70. So there are some good athletes in this group of players.

Overall, I like this draft class. Yes, there is still a pass rush concern, but I'm never going to argue against taking an OT who was an All-American. The Commanders feel like they got two guys with first-round grades in their first two picks, and based on where they were picking, that's pretty damn good.

And we have to consider that this draft class isn't just the five guys that were picked. The picks used to trade for Laramey Tunsil, Marshon Lattimore, and Deebo Samuel means you have to include them as part of the draft evaluation in some way. Look, the Commanders added a lot of talent, we just have to wait and see how it all plays out.

Offseason Review/Pre-Draft Thoughts for the Commanders

Okay, just want to get some thoughts down about the 'Ders as we approach the NFL.

First, let's look back to some of the thoughts from pre-free agency. 

1) Trade for Miles Garrett: The first thing I had as something I wanted to see was for them to make a run at trading for Miles Garrett. This didn't happen. It takes two to tango (and in this case it would've taken three to come to an agreement), but looking back on the way everything went down, it doesn't look like Garrett was ever really available. Maybe the way things played out is for the best. What is for the best is that Adam Peters didn't panic and over pay to acquire Trey Hendrickson. Washington seems to be content to try to address the pass rush in the draft, picking from what is expected to be a deep class of edge rushers.

1b) Trades: So it kind of looks like my number offseason priority (adding star power through trades) was a bust. But to honor the soon-to-retire Lee Corso "Not so fast, my friend!" Peters did add star power to the roster via trade. It was just on offense rather than defense. He swung trades that brought in Deebo Samuels and Laremy Tunsil. We can quibble about losing the draft capital it took to bring these guys in, but I think what is important here is that the Commanders realized how close they are to making a Super Bowl during Jayden Daniels's rookie contract and took a swing to bring in high-talent players for Daniels to play with. 

2) Bring Back Key Vets: Peters looked at most of his roster and decided to run it back. Of the guys I wanted back prior to free agency, everyone is back except for Jeremy Chinn. And none of these guys was a wild overpay. Maybe someone is mad that Bobby Wagner is making $9 million, but it's a one-year deal for a future Hall of Famer who can still play and brings a lot to the locker room. You can make the same case for bringing back Zach Ertz (although he probably won't make the HoF). The only resigning that raised eyebrows was the one for blocking TE John Bates, but apparently other teams wanted him as well, and if Bates does the dirty work so that Ertz and Ben Sinnott can focus more on pass-catching, well, ok that's not so bad.

3) Draft Wisely: Skipping draft stuff for now. It'll get covered. Don't worry.

4) Avoid Handing Out Silly Big-Money Contracts: The only questionable contract Peters and company handed out was the three-year $45 million contract for Javon Kinlaw. But, all things considered, if that's the one big or questionable deal, it's not that bad. There is a potential to get out of the contract after next season per Spotrac, and the Kinlaw contract essentially replaces Jonathan Allen's previous contract. There are questions about how good Kinlaw is, but I'll give Dan Quinn the benefit of the doubt here and see if he and his coaching staff can unlock his potential.

The Commanders are currently 16th in cap space and are currently projected to have the 10th-most cap space next offseason. It's hard to look to far ahead because there is most likely an extension coming for Terry McLaurin. but the point is the team still has flexibility going forward, so I think the Commanders have done all right.

Cool. But C'mon, It's Draft Season! Give Some Draft Takes!

Ok, calm down. Draft takes, yes I've got a few.

1) Trade Down: After the trades to bring in Samuel and Tunsil, Washington enters the draft with five picks. The Commanders will probably be a playoff team even without adding a bunch of young talent, but Adam Peters should want to bring in rookie players to make this team younger. Washington was one of the oldest teams in the NFL last year. And, oh yeah, pretty much every draft pick made by Ron Rivera is no longer with the team. So, adding some young talent should be a priority. Now, of course, it'll take finding teams willing to trade with, but this is Adam Peters's moment to shine as a deal maker (why do so many people in this organization have last names that end in "s"?). He made a trade on during the 2024 Draft with the Philadelphia Eagles, so he's shown that he's willing to trade with anyone.

I've been playing with a mock draft tool, and it's been much more fun when I've traded down, picking up extra picks in the mid-to-late rounds. I'm hoping Peters finds making trades fun as well.

2) But don't trade down too far: Like I said, it's been fun playing with the mock draft simulator. I do think, however, Washington needs some high-potential talent added to this roster. So I'd suggest calling each of the teams drafting after Washington in round 1 to see if they want to move up a slot or two. Buffalo has a gazillion picks and probably wants to find a lot of rookie contracts now that Josh Allen has been extended for all the money in the world, but maybe you can pry a pick away from them to ensure they get the guy they want in round 1. Call Kansas City to see if they want to leapfrog Buffalo to get a certain player and give up one of their eight draft picks in the process. Same thought process with Philly at the end of Round 1. Cleveland and Tennessee pick at the top of round 2 and have a ton of picks you could ask for. Looking a little deeper, Jacksonville and Chicago have multiple second and third round picks. Use the phones, see what's available. There are chances to add picks while still being able to get the talent that is available at the end of round 1 or the start or round 2.  

3) Skew slightly towards defense: I think Jayden Daniels proved last season that he makes the guys around him better. So while it's really tempting to dream up scenarios where you give him some young talent and let him cook, I think it's probably a wiser move to draft more dudes on D than on offense. Quite simply, I think the offense will find a way. The defense is the side of the ball I have less faith in. We all saw the NFC Championship Game. The 'Ders simply couldn't get Philly off the field. So let's add more talent there. I'm not saying go overboard. Right now, Washington has five picks. If they made only those five picks, I would want three of them to be defenders and two picks to be on the offensive side of the ball. I'd like the same ratio if trades are made and more picks are acquired. 

4) Quick Hits/Random Thoughts: 

• The guy I want most Washington's first pick is Donovan Ezeiruaku. Let's get an edge rusher that can get to the QB. Maybe you don't think the ACC competition was good. He still recorded sacks in games against Missouri and Michigan State last year. And Ezeirauku's sack totals were pretty consistent throughout Boston College's season, so it's not like he just feasted on the bottom of the conference or non-P4 schools. He's been mock drafted in the late-first range, so who knows what will happen, but he's a guy who could address a big need.
• The trait I most want is speed (Al Davis was right). Maybe Maxwell Hairston or Matthew Golden drop down to Washington late in the first. I'd be tempted by their speed despite what I just said about Ezeirauku. A more realistic option would be adding the speed of Bhayshul Tuten in the middle rounds, but I'm sure a lot of people are looking at running back who ran a 4.32 at the combine.
• I'd love to see Jonas Sanker make the trip up Route 29 from Charlottesville to Washington, D.C. Sanker was one of the bright spots during a rough year for my Cavaliers, and I think he could be a solid addition to secondary.
• Of the need positions, cornerback is the one where I hope they don't try to force a pick. I like the group of guys they've assembled over the offseason. If the draft fell in a way that cornerback went unaddressed, I think that is survivable.
• There are a couple of legacy-players available: Benjamin Morrison and Luke Lachey. Benjamin's dad played for Washington from 1993-1996. Luke's dad is former Hog Jim Lachey. I don't know if they get a boost in their draft evals for that or not, but I find it interesting. Oh, Mason Taylor is also a legacy player, but Jason Taylor's season in Washington wasn't the best.