5 greatest-ever NFL Draft picks in Washington Commanders history
By Jonathan Eig
Charley Taylor – Former Commanders WR
- Round 1, 1964 NFL Draft
The Washington Commanders got Charley Taylor out of Arizona State with the No. 3 overall pick in the 1964 NFL Draft. It was the same year they acquired a new quarterback from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Together, Taylor and Sonny Jurgensen would help Washington build one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL.
They already had Bobby Mitchell and would soon be drafting Jerry Smith, to complete the best receiving corps in football. Taylor was the alpha.
At 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, he had the size to run over defensive backs. Taylor boasted blazing speed for a man his size. Like Mitchell, he had begun his football journey as a running back and started his career in Washington playing in the backfield.
When coach Otto Graham moved him out to wide receiver, Taylor was initially reluctant. But the move paid off.
By the time he retired, Taylor held almost every important receiving record in franchise history and concluded a phenomenal ride as the league’s all-time leader in catches – a record that would stand for another seven years after his retirement.