As the 2022 NFL regular season winds down for the Washington Commanders, they will quickly turn their focus to the offseason and what awaits them in free agency and the draft.
As the weather turns colder and the NFL playoffs begin to take shape, teams will soon be turning their attention to roster re-shaping through the two main tools of the offseason – free agency and the draft. The Washington Commanders will have many decisions to make in the weeks and months to come, but none of it will be easy. There will be thirty-one other teams looking to do many of the same things and competition for current and future NFL prospects will be intense.
Welcome to a holiday version of mock drafting and free agency predictions. We’ll call it (unofficially) Mock 6.5 and Holiday Free Agency. Mock 7.0 is coming next week and following the 2022 season, we will kick into higher gears for many looks at free agency. Our focus on the team today is quarterback, offensive line, tight end, defensive end, linebacker, and cornerback. Enough of the pageantry – let’s jump right in and unwrap these gifts right now!
Commanders 2023 mock draft and free agency predictions
Round One
Joey Porter, Cornerback, Penn State
Porter fills a huge need for the Commanders and he would be a day-one starter.
- Defensive tackle Daron Payne is signed to a five year, $70M deal with Free Agency with a $30M signing bonus.
- Quarterback Taylor Heinicke is signed to a three-year, $24M deal with an $8M signing bonus.
- Quarterback Carson Wentz is released with no cap hit.
- Tight end Logan Thomas is released as a post-June 1st cut.
- Dallas Cowboys free agent quarterback Cooper Rush is signed to a three-year, $24M deal with an $8M signing bonus.
Round Two
Dawand Jones, Offensive Tackle, Ohio State
The massively-sized Jones would be a day-one starter at right tackle and it would allow Sam Cosmi to move to right guard.
- Offensive Guard/Center Wes Schweitzer is signed to a two-year, $6M deal with a $2.5M signing bonus
- Linebacker Cole Holcomb is signed to a four-year, $36M deal with an $18M signing bonus.
- J.D. McKissic is released as a post-June 1st cut.
- Tennessee Titans free agent right guard Nate Davis is signed to a four-year, $20M deal with an $8M signing bonus.
Round Three (Compensatory Pick)
Luke Musgrave, Tight End, Oregon State
At 6-6, 250 Luke Musgrave has the size and athleticism that the Rivera regime covets. He is a solid receiver and blocker.
- Defensive End Efe Obada is signed to a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum.
- Center Tyler Larsen is signed to a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum.
- Miami Dolphins free agent running back Myles Gaskin is signed to a three-year, $9M deal with a $3M signing bonus.
Round Four
Isaiah Moore, Linebacker, North Carolina State
Depth at linebacker is sorely needed and Isaiah Moore is a solid prospect to back up Cole Holcomb.
- Cornerback Danny Johnson is signed to a one-year contract at the veteran’s minimum.
- Offensive Guard Trai Turner is signed to a one-year contract at the veteran’s minimum.
Round Five
Olusegun Oluwatimi, Center, Michigan
After several great seasons at Virginia, graduate transfer Olusegun Oluwatimi had a superb season for Michigan. He is solid in pass protection and the rushing offense.
- Wide Receiver Cam Sims is signed to a one-year contract at the veteran’s minimum.
- Linebacker Jon Bostic is signed to a one-year contract at the veteran’s minimum.
- Seattle Seahawks free agent center Kyle Fuller is signed to a one-year contract at the veteran’s minimum.
Round Six
McClendon Curtis, Offensive Guard/Tackle, Tennessee-Chattanooga
Curtis could be a very versatile swing guard or tackle at the next level. Large frame and superior height – very good in all phases of the game.
Lance Boykin, Cornerback, Coastal Carolina (Compensatory Pick)
Lance Boykin is still a very good cornerback, but a multiplicity of corners have declared for the draft in recent weeks and this could allow the Commanders to draft this hidden gem.
- Safety and special teams ace Jeremy Reaves (restricted free agent) is signed to a three-year, $9M deal with a $3M signing bonus.
Jeremy Reaves got the dog in him. And the shirt pic.twitter.com/hZCMs6mctj
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) December 18, 2022
- Linebacker and special teamer Khaleke Hudson (restricted free agent) will sign his one-year tender offer.
Round Seven
Brennan Jackson, Defensive End, Washington State
The Commanders have a knack for finding late-round defensive ends that turn into solid depth additions. Jackson could be the next player to continue that success.
- Defensive tackle Daniel Wise (Exclusive Rights Free Agent) will sign his one-year tender offer.
- Linebacker Milo Eifler (Exclusive Rights Free Agent) will sign his one-year tender offer.
- Cornerback Rachad Wildgoose (Exclusive Rights Free Agent) will sign his one-year tender offer.
- Las Vegas Raiders free agent defensive end Clelin Ferrell is signed to a one-year contract at the veteran’s minimum.
- Kansas City Chiefs free agent center Austin Reiter is signed to a one-year contract at the veteran’s minimum.
- Arizona Cardinals free agent guard Cody Ford is signed to a two-year, $3M contract with a $250K signing bonus.
There is your Mock 6.5 college draft and holiday free agency for this holiday season, 2022. We could make this a holiday gift each year for all the fans. It’s difficult to know how free agency could unfold, but this is just a quick snapshot of the players that could be available in March. Predicting the Commanders’ free agents is somewhat easier, but there are always surprises each year from the front office in Ashburn.
College prospects will continue to declare for the NFL draft in the coming days – the deadline is January 18. As more prospects are added to the draft pool, we will evaluate each player and any of them could be featured in a future mock. Mock 7.0 will be pushed to next week and, as always, we will have our weekly analysis of the previous game. This week, it is a Christmas Eve matchup against the NFC West Champion San Francisco 49ers.
Have a great Christmas and we will return early next week. See you as we go along.