Re-grading the Washington Football Team’s 2019 NFL Draft performance
Round 1
In the latter portion of the 2018 season, Washington’s starting quarterback Alex Smith suffered a serious leg injury that had many thinking of a career that was cut short. The front office chose to select talented Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins with the 15th overall draft pick.
In his rookie season last year, Haskins spent the first half of the season on the bench and was tasked with learning the offense. His chances came in the second half of the season came after a coaching change and an anemic offense that needed a spark.
The spark never really happened, but Haskins continued to improve and show plenty of promise for the future.
More from Riggo's Rag
- What will Emmanuel Forbes bring to the Washington Commanders?
- Highlighting the best Commanders 2023 NFL Draft betting props
- 3 late Commanders rumors drawing buzz ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft
- 4 bold predictions for the Commanders 2023 NFL Draft
- Commanders News: Chase Young trade, draft day, CB riser and Sam Howell
It would be easy to give the WFT an average grade here and nothing more, but the quarterback position is far too important to simply dismiss it as just another roster spot. Reports this summer indicate Haskins has been working diligently during the offseason and is looking good in training camp. We’ll grade on the curve just a bit and see where the 2020 season takes this young Buckeye.
Surprise! Did you think it was time to grade the round two draft choice? Well, the WFT decided to trade their second-rounder and a 2020 second-round pick and move back into the first round. It was a shocking turn of events and while some may feel like the front office gave up too much for such a trade, it turns out to be a solid maneuver.
Mississippi State pass rushing specialist Montez Sweat was considered a top 10 prospect in 2019, but a false medical report caused him to fall in the first round and Washington decided to make a trade and nabbed him at No. 26 overall.
Sweat labored with varying degrees of success early in 2019 and was going through the challenging nuances of NFL life, but he produced a solid sample of his talent later in the season. The first round in this draft was very kind to the Burgundy and Gold.