Commanders Mock Draft: Washington makes massive trade in fist round

With the first wave of free agency over, the Washington Commanders‘ attention has shifted towards the NFL Draft. With their QB1, Carson Wentz, for the 2022 season in tow, the retention of key free agents attained and two low-cost outside free agents acquired Washington has all but put a bow on the first wave of the offseason.

In my second edition of the Washington Commanders’ mock draft, I have the Commanders trading down in this mock. Yeah, you have probably heard of that scenario before. But this one is a bit different. This is not the Steelers or Saints trading up for Malik Willis. Instead, in this mock draft, done via the Pro Football Network mock draft simulator, the Commanders trade down 20 spots with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Twenty spots sounds like a lot. And, well, it is. But that is because the Bengals gave the Commanders an offer so good it could not be passed up. As Charles Cross, the left tackle out of Mississippi State, sat at pick No. 11, the Bengals offered Washington a lot to go get the former Bulldog as the last piece to their offensive line.

The Bengals starting offensive line now would most likely feature: Charles Cross, Jonah Williams, Ted Karras, Alex Cappa and La’el Collins. A significant improvement. Washington, meanwhile, receives an additional second in this year’s draft, gets back a third, and now has an additional first in tow for 2023. An additional first that can be used in a trade for a quarterback if the Wentz rehabilitation plan goes down the drain.

Without further ado, lets get started with my second edition of the 7-round Washington Commanders’ mock draft. Click here to read my first one.

Washingyton Commanders’ 7-round mock draft

R1, P31- Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas

The 6-foot-2 225-pound wideout from Arkansas can be best described as a bowling ball. Built like a running back, Burks excels after the catch. He is able to break tackles with ease, as his low center of gravity makes it so defenders slide right off of him.

Aligning all over the field for the Razorbacks, Burks was a valuable piece to his offense. His soft hands made him a threat as a receiver, his physicality makes him a threat in contested catch situations and he has the ability to take any catch to the house.

While Burks 4.55 40-yard dash may be uninspiring, it is important to acknowledge his size as a factor. And the tape speaks for itself. He made a name for himself running away from SEC competition, including the Alabama Crimson Tide. He single handedly kept the Razorbacks in that game with plays like this.

While his route tree needs to be refined, he has the makings of exactly what Washington needs to add to their offense: a YAC menace. Terry McLaurin is the true X receiver, Curtis Samuel can be another chess piece who excels at winning deep, Dyami Brown can be a deep threat, while Cam Sims can be the contested catch threat for Washington.

Then, in comes Treylon Burks, the receiver with the ability to make yards for himself. Burks would fit seamlessly into the offense and provide Wentz with a safety blanket underneath, that can turn those “checkdowns” into more.