5 quarterbacks the Commanders could select in the 2023 NFL Draft

Commanders could draft Dorian Thompson-Robinson

Dorian Thompson-Robinson played for the UCLA Bruins for five seasons, and more than anyone else on this list, he showed steady improvement throughout his college career. I remember watching him early on and not being very impressed. He could move, and he had a decent arm, but nothing he did scared a defense.

At 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds, you had to be a little bit worried about his durability. But by the time he was done in Westwood, he held the UCLA record for career starts, touchdown passes, and total offense. Had Thompson-Robinson not gotten hurt toward the end of last year’s Sun Bowl, he almost certainly would also hold the career passing yardage mark, coming up 24 yards short.

A couple of costly interceptions in that Sun Bowl loss to Pittsburgh may have left a sour taste. But Thompson-Robinson managed to build himself into a high-level college quarterback by his senior year.

He was completing passes at almost 70 percent with an average yards-per-attempt of 8.3. Thompson-Robinson had a touchdown/interception ratio of almost 3 to 1. These were all marked improvements from his earlier years. The signal-caller is the one player on this list who got better and better the more he played.

I still don’t believe he will ever be a frontline starter in the NFL. But that improvement proves his coachability and suggests he might be the ideal developmental backup for the Washington Commanders.

Thompson-Robinson is a guy who will stay prepared, who will get better over time and will be a steady influence should he ever have to take over in the middle of a game.