Washington Commanders 2022 Draft analysis and grades

Round Seven

Chris Paul, Offensive Guard

For several years, Tulsa’s Chris Paul has heard all the jokes and many questions.  Basketball’s Chris Paul is one of the best players in the world today, but football’s Chris Paul is looking to make a name for himself after being selected in the seventh round by the Washington Commanders.  At 6-4, 325 and a determination to succeed, Paul is raw and will need time to adjust to the power and speed of defensive linemen in the NFL.  He was not heavily recruited out of high school, but quickly became a force for the Golden Hurricanes.  As he improved each year, Paul began to catch the eye of NFL scouts.

Washington needed depth on the offensive line and they have found a potential chess piece for the future.  Unless there are numerous injuries this season, look for Paul to spend the 2022 season with the playbook and learn while observing.  He could be ready for significant playing time within a year or slightly later.

Grade: A

Christian Holmes, Cornerback

The Commanders will probably need to add one more cornerback in free agency and Holmes is a player that is probably heading to the practice squad.  In a couple of years, he could become a solid depth piece, but his impact early on will need to be on special teams.  If he is unable to fill that role, he could be cut altogether.

Cornerback is still a need and taking one here is not really the issue.  Honestly, Holmes is a long shot to play for Washington, but it is possible that he could surprise.  However, there were a handful of players at various positions and were rated higher than Holmes.  Each one was available for the taking at this juncture of the draft.  Washington has enjoyed plenty of success in the seventh round in recent years and it appears as if some decent players were simply not considered worthy enough to be added with this selection.  Grading this pick harshly would be easy right now, but let’s give the team a measure of respect here and the young prospect some benefit of the doubt for now.

Grade: C+

The Overall Grade

Producing a snap judgment following the conclusion of a draft for any draft class is a bit unfair or perhaps a tad too generous, but we have arrived at that moment.  Yes, it is better to grade a draft ACCURATELY after a few years, but this is the best guess for now.

The trades are graded very favorably in today’s evaluation.  The Washington Commanders entered the draft with six picks overall and they were able to draft eight players with the transactions.  That certainly helps the overall grade and it helps that many teams wanted to trade throughout the three day event.  Nine trades took place in the first round and another eight came in round two.  A grand total of thirty-five trades were processed during the three day extravaganza and the Burgundy and Gold were involved in two of those trades.

As for the players that were selected, the team decided to draft for need and abandoned the idea of drafting the best player available in each round.  This strategy is fine for an occasional offseason, but it shouldn’t be a continuous exercise each year.  If there was a season to consider drafting for need, 2022 was the year to employ this plan.  The grade for the entire class, trades, and strategy is solid and the Washington Commanders’ front office is to be congratulated.

Grade: B+

Coming very soon, we will grade yours truly on the final mock as well as the day two and day three mocks.  We will also give you the very first 2023 mock draft, but it will be brief and concise.  OTAs, mini-camp, training camp, and the preseason are just around the corner, but we’ll also have some free agency updates as well.  It’s time to shift gears and drive toward the 2022 season.