Molding the perfect Commanders NFL Draft strategy in 2023
By Jonathan Eig
How can the Washington Commanders mold a perfect strategy ahead of the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft?
I don’t do mock drafts. We have someone at Riggo’s Rag who does the best Washington Commanders mocks that I’ve ever seen, so if you want to dive in on some, check out Ken Johannesen.
I only do what could be generously referred to as “casual scouting” during the college football season. But I do begin paying a lot more attention come Senior Bowl time, and will continue through the NFL Scouting Combine.
Doing a lot of mocks on the Pro Football Network simulator to get a sense of average draft positions (ADPs) and to see what kind of depth might be available throughout the later rounds has also helped.
It’s still too early to place much stock in those ADPs. Players – especially speedy edge rushers and receivers – will fly up draft boards as pro days begin. Quarterbacks will also move – a lot.
At this point two years ago, you could still get Mac Jones in the third round and that was a legitimate topic of conversation for Commanders fans. As it turns out, he was massively overvalued and Washington would have had to trade up in Round 1 to get him.
Hopefully, we will find the opposite to be true with regard to Sam Howell. At this point last year, he was still going in the third or fourth round before the Commanders got him in the fifth.
Florida’s Anthony Richardson, who was barely cracking most top 10 lists before the season, will ultimately be selected in the first round. It is entirely possible that he will go in the top ten given how needy teams are for a new franchise signal-caller.
For those fans who thought the Commanders could nab him in the second or third round, that isn’t happening. Depending on his injury reports, Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker might be available on Day 2 for Washington, but even he might shoot up with a clean bill of health.
But I digress. What I want to talk about is the general draft strategy that the Commanders should employ, and how my perception of that strategy has changed after watching the Kansas City Chiefs.