Commanders Mock Draft: Washington nabs quarterback after Pro Day visit

The first “position-flex” pick of the 2022 NFL Draft for the Washington Commanders comes in the fourth round with the selection of left tackle/center Zach Tom out of Wake Forest. Tom played over 2,500 snaps in his career as a Deamon Decon, but what’s just as impressive is not only his effectiveness, but his sheer versatility.

Tom played a significant amount of reps at left tackle over the last two seasons at Wake Forest but he started his career at center. He played over 1,000 snaps as the QB of the OL, and was just as good inside as he was on the outside.

He earned pass block and true-pass set grades from Pro Football Focus that placed him in the upper 90th-percentile among all qualified tackles last season, but what stood out to me was his ability to be effective, climb into the second level and make an impact there.

He’s a great lateral mover, but despite not having an insane amount of size in terms of height, arm length, etc, he can utilize the tools that he does have to get into position and be one of the best zone-blocking offensive linemen in this class.

Washington may be searching for an interior offensive lineman, and while Tom doesn’t have experience playing right guard, I’d bank on his development as an interior player regardless of the position due to the tools, experience level and consistent improvement that we’ve seen from him at the collegiate level.