What are the best picks made by the Washington Commanders in franchise history from their current spots during the 2023 NFL Draft?
Barring trades, the Washington Commanders will have eight picks in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft. You can read lots of draft projections and mock drafts. The internet is full of them. Our own Ken Johannesen does the best team-specific mocks that I know of.
When it comes to mock drafts, I’m a dilettante. So I don’t do mocks. But I do go pretty far back with this team, so I do what a lot of old guys do. I talk about the old days.
As I said, the Commanders have eight picks – numbers 16, 47, 97, 118, 150, 193, 215, and 233. Here’s what I do: I tell you who the best player – regardless of the mascot name at the time – has ever drafted at each of those positions.
I probably should have given you a draft geek alert at the beginning. But here are the picks.
Pick No. 233
Billy Brewer – Former Commanders S
- No. 233 overall – 1959
As you might guess, the pickings are rather slim here. Washington hasn’t had very many No. 233 picks in its history, and none of the players lasted more than a season or two.
Billy Brewer did start six games on one of the worst teams in franchise history, and then he transitioned into a coaching career. He would go on to be a decent head coach at Ole Miss for a decade.
That’s the highest football-related achievement anybody drafted by Washington in this slot has managed.
Jamie Asher – Former Commanders TE
- No. 215 overall – 1995
Jamie Asher is the best player for the Washington Commanders – or the alter ego at the time – drafted in this slot. He was a starting tight end for a couple of seasons in the mid-1990s, scoring four touchdowns in 1995, and is still the sixth all-time leading receiver amongst tight ends in franchise history.
But he is not the best player the Commanders ever drafted at this spot. That would be cornerback Jimmy Spencer, taken four years earlier in 1991.
Spencer never played a down for Washington. But over the course of 12 seasons, he turned out for four other teams, starting for the New Orleans Saints and Cincinnati Bengals.
He finished with 26 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries, having an arguably better career than any other defensive back drafted by the team until Champ Bailey was picked seven years later.
Tom Compton – Former Commanders OT
- No. 193 overall – 2012
Washington picked South Dakota’s Tom Compton two years after selecting Trent Williams. Ten years later their wisdom would be proven when this duo was the starting tackles in the 2022 NFC Championship game.
Unfortunately, both men were playing for the San Francisco 49ers at the time.
Compton has been a serviceable swing tackle and spot starter, appearing in 124 NFL games, 44 of them for the Commanders.
Eddie Saenz – Former Commanders RB/KR
- No. 150 overall – 1945
I never saw Eddie Saenz play. But I trust franchise historian Michael Richman, who writes glowingly about the player’s electric performances as a kick returner and receiving running back.
He is tied with Mike Nelms for fifth in return average with a minimum of 80 kickoff returns. Saenz also matched Brian Mitchell, Bobby Mitchell, and Andy Farkas for first in kickoff returns for touchdowns with two.
His punt return average exceeded Nelms, Eddie Brown, and Herb Mul-Key.
Jerry Smith – Former Commanders TE
- No. 118 overall – 1965
Jerry Smith arrived from Arizona State in 1965 to complete the most exciting receiving corps in the league. Washington already had future Pro Football Hall of Famers Charley Taylor and Bobby Mitchell on the outside so the tight end’s arrival saw the offense boast an embarrassment of riches.
The smooth, undersized, sure-handed Smith patrolled the middle of the field, and Sonny Jurgensen spread the ball to all of them. He still ranks sixth on the franchise’s all-time receiving list, trailing only Chris Cooley among tight ends, and his 60 touchdowns rank third behind Taylor and Art Monk, who is also enshrined in Canton.
Joe Patton – Former Commanders OT
- No. 97 overall – 1994
After Jerry Smith and Eddie Saenz, Joe Patton may seem like a bit of a letdown. Hard to argue.
He did manage a decent run for some pretty mediocre teams in the mid-1990s, racking up more than 50 starting appearances and outclassing Andre Johnson, the tackle they chose in the first round a couple of years later.
By the end of the decade, the Washington Commanders had moved on from Patton, investing high-level picks in Jon Jansen and Chris Samuels to take over the tackle positions.
Trent Murphy – Former Commanders DE/OLB
- No. 47 overall – 2014
If things go right, last year’s second-round pick, Phidarian Mathis – also chosen with the No. 47 overall selection – will supplant Trent Murphy a few years from now.
Murphy was a decent player, who lasted in the NFL for six seasons, half with Washington and half with the Buffalo Bills. He shuffled between linebacker and defense end, registering nine sacks and 47 tackles in his final season before moving north.
Given his high draft position, the Commanders would have hoped for more.
Ryan Kerrigan – Former Commanders DE
- No. 16 overall – 2011
Like Trent Murphy, Ryan Kerrigan also shuffled between 3-4 outside linebacker and 4-3 defensive end. But unlike the second-rounder, he was a stone-cold success.
It took Kerrigan a year or two to adjust to playing from a standing position in the pros. Once he did, the inspirational figure was the heart and soul of Washington Commanders.
Kerrigan made the Pro Bowl four times and retired as the franchise’s all-time sack leader with 95.5 quarterback takedowns. After retiring, he returned to the Commanders to assume the role of assistant defensive line coach, which was a significant asset for a gifted young front to call upon.
A salute to Ryan Kerrigan. In a time in which way too many #WashingtonFootball players were malcontents, oft-injured & just not that good, he never complained, was incredibly durable & was highly productive. pic.twitter.com/qrHiAkXSIW
— Al Galdi (@AlGaldi) May 17, 2021
It’s not exactly a fabulous record. But if the Commanders come out of the 2023 NFL Draft with three players as good as Kerrigan, Jerry Smith, and Eddie Saenz, along with some good depth pieces, I won’t complain.
Now, you may return to your mock drafts, where the is no real consensus about who the Commanders will take. Although the widespread thought is centered on the offensive line and some of the top cornerback prospects emerging from the collegiate level.