Commanders 7-round mock draft: Trades, surprises in final 2023 edition

Our last 2023 NFL mock draft of this year’s cycle features plenty of trades and surprises for the Washington Commanders to consider throughout the process.

I do a lot of mock drafts for fun, but not so many for publication. They are a good way to test out draft strategies and get a sense of what players might be available at various points.

Now that the actual draft is just days away, everyone’s mocks get a little more serious and focused. So here is my final mock for the Washington Commanders.

I used Pro Football Network’s simulator. Whichever one you use, it becomes more suspect as player values begin to fluctuate in the final weeks. You will see an example of that in this mock.

You will also see my general rule for this – and for most drafts. I like trading back, but I do not trade back more than half a round. Therefore, if I were offered a trade-back late in the first round this year, I would have taken it.

But in this draft, I would have had to move into the second round and I wasn’t willing to move that far. In the later rounds, I was offered a lot of small trade-backs, and I accepted several. As a result, I came out of this draft with ten picks, after beginning with eight.

I also employed a general strategy of prioritizing offense early. That is a direct result of the Eric Bienemy hire. I suspect he will hold greater sway than Scott Turner in the past few years, and that there are some new toys he will want to play with.

As you will see, that resulted in a draft that loaded up on offense early, and on defense late.

I also made one mistake, and that is another reason to do these exercises. To learn where you can take chances, and where you should play it safe. But more on that in a few minutes.

We’ll begin, as most good stories do, with Round No. 1.

Commanders draft Darnell Wright

• Offensive Tackle | Tennessee Volunteers

Darnell Wright has played both left and right tackle at Tennessee, and he has logged a ton of snaps against SEC competition. He did not give up a sack his senior year, including a game against Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr., currently projected to be one of the top three non-quarterbacks to be drafted in 2023.

Wright is still young but has great size and experience. He has steadily improved throughout his college career and looks like a great fit for the Washington Commanders, who’ve taken a keen interest in the prospect throughout their evaluations.

He immediately takes over one of the two tackle spots. Though he may display some rookie growing pains, Wright should be a steady presence for a long time to come.

This would likely shift free-agent signing Andrew Wylie to the right guard position unless Wright is ready to assume blindside responsibilities. In that case, Charles Leno Jr. is likely going to be demoted to a swing tackle option or perhaps even shift inside.

The Commanders might go for a sexier pick at No. 16 overall with the potential new owners watching on. But Wright has the potential to solve their edge protection problems for more than a decade if his ceiling is reached.

Commanders draft Hendon Hooker

• Quarterback | Tennessee Volunteers

I will be shocked if Hendon Hooker is available at pick No. 47 in the second round. He has been rising in the past few weeks, and will likely go in the first round. But he was still available in my simulation, so I had to take him.

This is not a knock on Sam Howell, who would still enter training camp as the presumptive Washington Commanders starter under center. This is more of an acknowledgment that finding a first-rate quarterback is very hard and increasing your odds by investing in two talented young players is a smart idea.

There have been some knocks on Hooker that initially had him going in the third round. I don’t care at all about his injury or about his age – he is 25 years old. I do care a bit about the fact that Tennessee’s offense does not resemble a pro set.

Despite this, I feel like Hooker is a mature enough player to make the transition. Eric Bieniemy has spent considerable time speaking with the signal-caller throughout Washington’s evaluations, so the notion cannot be completely dismissed despite Rivera’s apparent happiness about moving forward with Howell and Jacoby Brissett in 2023.

Taking Hooker in the first round seems unlikely. If he makes it this far, it’s a possibility.

Commanders draft Chase Brown

• Running Back | Illinois Fighting Illi

This was my first trade. I got a chance to swap a late third-rounder for a fourth and a fifth. The Green Bay Packers used the Washington Commanders’ pick to take tight end Sam LaPorta, and I would have strongly considered him had I held the selection.

But I am very happy to get Chase Brown, a versatile, athletic running back who can run, catch, and block equally well. He has excellent speed for a 210-pounder and would be a perfect complement to both Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson.

Commanders draft Ricky Stromberg

• Offensive Line | Arkansas Razorbacks

I was able to trade back twice and get Ricky Stromberg, a very tough veteran who also played against elite SEC defenders for his entire career. He began at guard and then played center his final three seasons as an Arkansas Razorback.

Stromberg looks like a throwback to classic Hogs. He isn’t the biggest guy on the field, though he is big enough. He isn’t the fastest, though he is fast enough. He has very good technique and finishes a lot of plays with his defender on the ground.

If he isn’t exactly Russ Grimm, he is as close as you will find in a fourth-rounder this year. He could probably start at center right away, though I would think he would be worked in at both guard and center more gradually.

Commanders draft Jakorian Bennett

• Cornerback | Maryland Terrapins

This is where I got greedy and made a mistake. I was able happy to get another pick in the top 150. This pick was No. 149, and I held onto the Washington Commanders’ original pick at No. 150, giving me six picks in that top 150.

But by trading back here, I missed out on Christopher Smith, the productive Georgia defensive back who plays well above his measurables. In Jakorian Bennett, I’m getting a superb athlete who has great speed and was an excellent zone defender in college.

By focusing on offense early, I did not get the shutdown, No. 1 cornerback that I might have craved. But this draft offers a lot of solid secondary players who can join Kendall Fuller and Benjamin St-Juste to build depth.

Commanders draft Cory Trice Jr.

• Defensive Back | Purder Boilermakers

Speaking of building that depth, Cory Trice Jr. is a long, rangy defender who has the size to play in the box, but also enough skill to move outside in coverage. He reminds me of Jeremy Reaves, with more overt athleticism.

As such, he should become a very valuable special-teamer immediately, while providing excellent versatility in the backfield.

Commanders draft Jaxon Player

• Defensive Tackle | Baylor Bears

This is the second part of the trade-back that resulted in Ricky Stromberg. Jaxon Player is basically the aforementioned prospect on defense. The 6-foot, 300-pounder won’t be splashy, but he will help plug up the middle on running downs.

He would be the Washington Commanders lineman best-suited to play over center on short-yardage or on specialty plays. With Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Phidarian Mathis, and John Ridgeway, the defense is solid in the middle. But as we saw last season with Mathis, you can never have enough depth in the middle of either line.

Commanders draft Thomas Incoom

• Defensive End | Central Michigan Chippewas

Thomas Incoom is a great project player. If he were a few inches taller, the prospect would be drafted several rounds earlier – and he might have been playing for a higher-level college program.

As it is, he simply makes plays all the time. Incoom has great burst and surprising strength.

Incoom is not as explosive as former Pittsburgh Steeler great Greg Lloyd – not many players are – but he reminds me of Lloyd when I watch him. He always seems to be around the ball.

He will take some grooming, but with the Commanders’ strength on the edge, this would be an ideal situation for him to come in, play special teams, and learn.

Commanders draft Cam Jones

• Linebacker | Ohio State Buckeyes

This is the last of the trade pickups. Getting Cam Jones late in the sixth round doesn’t exactly solve the Washington Commanders’ linebacker issues. But I have come to understand that they just don’t seem all that worried about this position.

In Jamin Davis and Cody Barton, Washington has two young, athletic starters who are still improving. In another year, Jones will be able to do anything David Mayo can do, only with more youth and athleticism.

Though I might have wanted to come out of this draft with another linebacker who could actually start should either Davis or Barton go down, Jones adds good depth as a situational player.

Commanders draft Nick Herbig

• Edge Rusher | Wisconsin Badgers

Washington’s final pick – I swapped our seventh-rounder in an earlier trade – is another guy who can play linebacker if need be. But this kid is a pass rusher, pure and simple.

At just 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, there will be plenty of concern as to whether Nick Herbig can get to the quarterback when going up against NFL-caliber linemen. I think it’s worth the risk.

Some players simply have a knack for finding the quarterback and Herbig has shown that throughout his college career. The Commanders have a recent history of loading up on edge defenders late in the draft, and with Thomas Incoom and Herbig, they would be adding two extremely productive players.

Neither has the ideal size you may want. But they both make plays. I like my chances of having at least one of them continue that playmaking in the pros.

So we address offense early, giving Eric Bienemy help on the line, a versatile player out of the backfield, and a promising quarterback to groom alongside Sam Howell. Then we load up on defense late with help at all three levels.

Soon, we can stop mocking and start examining what we actually have heading into 2023. I’m ready.