Before you get turned off by the headline, just know that this article is in no way a reflection of our feelings about Jamin Davis.
Unlike some Washington Football Team fans, we’ve accepted the fact that Davis was drafted with an eye on the future. Barring something truly unforeseen, the Kentucky product was never going to make a huge impact as a rookie.
The good news for Washington is that Jon Bostic’s season-ending injury has paved the way for Davis to get more playing time. Over the last three games, he’s played 77.6% of the snaps, including 88.5% in the last two weeks.
Davis hasn’t been spectacular by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s learning on the job and that’s all you can really ask for.
With that being said, it’s clear Washington could’ve (or should’ve) drafted other prospects who weren’t viewed as development projects.
With the bye week in full swing and no trades to react to, let’s highlight some players Washington is surely regretting passing on.
4 players Washington should’ve drafted over Jamin Davis
4. Greg Newsome II
We get it. Hindsight is 20/20. The draft came after Washington signed William Jackson III to a three-year, $42 million deal in free agency, so the need for a cornerback wasn’t glaring at the time.
Fast forward to the present, however, and the Football Team has a glaring issue at cornerback. Jackson’s been a major flop and has missed the last two games due to injury. Kendall Fuller, meanwhile, is someone fans were pushing to be traded at the deadline. Folks, Benjamin St-Juste, drafted in the third round in the 2021 draft, has been Washington’s best corner, and it isn’t all that close.
Could you imagine a young CB tandem of St-Juste and Greg Newsome II, who was taken No. 26 overall by Cleveland? They’d be set.
It’s just a pleasure to watch Newsome play the CB position. He’s fluid and explosive and reads the game like a veteran. The Northwestern product earned the No. 2 CB spot opposite Denzel Ward during camp and has never looked back. He has four pass breakups and owns a 71.1 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus.
If Washington wasn’t so quick to throw the bag at Jackson, arguably free agency’s most disappointing signing through eight weeks, they could’ve drafted Newsome in Round 1, Sam Cosmi in Round 2 and St-Juste in Round 3.
It’s easy to say after the fact, but that would look A LOT better than having two overpaid veterans eating up a chunk of the payroll.
3. Kadarius Toney
Admit it. There’s some of you out there that are having second thoughts about the decision to draft Dyami Brown. Yes, this piece is centered around Davis, but it’s noteworthy that Brown, a third-round pick, has contributed nothing as a rookie. In six games, he has eight catches for 81 yards.
Outside of Terry McLaurin, wide receiver has been a disaster for Washington. Curtis Samuel has been hampered by a groin injury. Adam Humphries’ production has been sporadic. It’s so bad that DeAndre Carter, a player with minimal experience at the position, has logged more than 50 receiving yards in two of the last four games.
You know who would really serve as the sidekick McLaurin deserves? Kadarius Toney, who was taken No. 20 overall by the Giants, one pick after Davis.
A lot of folks thought New York reached for Toney. The Florida product had character concerns and most teams didn’t want to take on that burden. Well, through seven games, Toney looks to have already nipped those issues in the bud, albeit after he punched Damontae Kazee in Week 5 vs the Cowboys.
The former Gator has battled through injuries in Year 1, so his stat line (27 catches for 343 yards) is nothing to write home about. However, all you need is the eye test to realize he’s going to be a superstar in this league.
We’d go as far as to say that Toney is already one of the best receivers in the NFL with the ball in his hands after the catch. He’s the definition of a playmaker and he’d look a lot better in the Burgundy and Gold than blue and white.
2. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
The only reason Owusu-Koramoah doesn’t land higher on this list is because literally every team in the league nixed him off their first-round big boards after a reported heart issue popped up late in the pre-draft process.
As a result, Owusu-Koramoah fell to Cleveland at No. 52 overall (the pick right after Cosmi), and he looks like the steal of the second round.
Before an ankle injury landed him on injured reserve in mid-October, Owusu-Koramoah was one of the top-performing rookies from the 2021 class. In six games, he’s compiled 29 tackles, four pass breakups and a forced fumble. The Notre Dame product has showed high-end closing speed and is quietly a menace in coverage, as evidenced by his 77.3 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus.
It’s not often that rookies force their way into a starting role on elite defenses, but Owusu-Koramoah has done exactly that with the Browns, logging a 69.7% snap share from Weeks 3-6 before his injury.
Simply put, the 21-year-old is the do-it-all linebacker that Washington is sorely missing in the middle of their defense. JOK has been flying all over the second level of Cleveland’s D and we don’t doubt that several teams, especially Washington, are kicking themselves for letting him slip through their fingertips.
1. Trade up for Mac Jones
Does anybody actually know why Washington signed Ryan Fitzpatrick? Most assume he was signed as a placeholder because there were no franchise options available. In regard to free agency and the trade market — unless you hold Sam Darnold or Teddy Bridgewater in a high regard — that made sense.
In regard to the draft, however, it’s so untrue that we’d go as far as to call it fallacious. With the No. 19 overall pick and equipped with all of their draft picks for all of 2021 and 2022, what was stopping Washington from trading up?
As soon as Mac Jones slipped past No. 11 overall (where Chicago drafted Justin Fields) Ron Rivera and Co. should’ve made every phone call imaginable to leapfrog the Patriots, who made out like bandits by drafting Jones No. 15 overall.
Seriously, how much would it have cost to jump up five picks? A second-rounder? Maybe a third? The Fitzpatrick excuse isn’t even applicable here. In fact, having Fitz around to mentor Jones would’ve been the most unintentional piece of brilliance we can recall materializing on draft night.
All Jones has done through eight games is lead the Patriots to a 4-4 record and right in the thick of the crowded AFC playoff picture. He currently leads all rookie QBs in completion percentage (68.1%), passing yards (1,997), yards per attempt (7.1), touchdowns (nine), fewest interceptions (six) and passer rating (90.1).
There’s simply nothing to not like about Jones. He’s mature beyond his years in terms of reading defenses. He takes what the defense gives him, takes care of the football and pops right back up after taking big hits.
The former Alabama star probably wouldn’t look this good in Washington compared to New England, but he’d no doubt show signs that he’s the QB of the future. Unfortunately, the WFT stood their ground and drafted a development project in Davis, who can still have a great future in Ashburn!
We’ll just never get over the fact that Jones went FIVE picks before Davis, and Washington did nothing to try and trade up and snag him.