3 next steps for Commanders after trading for Carson Wentz

2. Draft a Wide Receiver in Round 1

We’ve seen a lot of discourse about what Washington should do with the No. 11 overall pick, and we’re not sure why it’s even a debate. Would Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner or Derek Stingley be nice selections? No doubt, but this is a deep cornerback class and wide receiver is the bigger need at this very moment.

Yes, the WR class is deep, too, but the Commanders should have their pick of their litter in the first round. If they wait until Round 2, in which they moved back five picks as part of the Wentz trade, should they really run the risk of Christian Watson, Skyy Moore, Jahan Dotson and George Pickens being off the board?

Barring something truly unforeseen, the front office should have their pick of at least three of Drake London, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Treylon Burks. Mel Kiper’s latest mock has the Jets swiping London with the 4th pick, but Wilson, Olave or Burks (we’d prefer one of the first two) would be great gets.

Either way, Washington should learn from the Colts’ mistake. At this point, Wentz isn’t good enough to elevate the talent around him. Outside of Michael Pittman, the Colts didn’t have another reliable target for Wentz. TY Hilton is nearing the end of his career, Zach Pascal, who has since signed with Philly, is inconsistent, Parris Campbell is never healthy and Ashton Dulin is still developing.

If the Commanders drafted one of the aforementioned prospects, they’d have a pretty solid rotation of wide receivers:

• McLaurin
• Wilson/Olave/Burks
• Samuel
• Dyami Brown
• Cam Sims

With that group, Washington will have their answer in terms of whether Wentz is just a placeholder or a multi-year starter.