10 critical observations from the Commanders 2023 NFL Draft

Quan Martin is the Commanders draft key

Speaking of Quan Martin, I think he is the key to this draft. He was the wild card.

A lot of people thought the Washington Commanders would go with a cornerback in round one and an interior lineman in the middle rounds. Even though he was a top-30 visit, I don’t know anyone who thought Martin was a serious consideration in the second.

It seems to me that Washington went looking for a Bobby McCain replacement because Martin offers the same kind of flexibility the Commanders had with the recently departed veteran.

And, to close the book on Martin, let me just opine that the fact none of us saw the pick coming is an excellent testament to how guarded the Commanders were with their draft board and plans. Though some of us may be embarrassed that we missed it, and some fans may think it was a bad pick because they had not seen his name before, that type of security is actually a very good thing for the organization.

Commanders have a plan for Emmanuel Forbes

Emmanuel Forbes will gain some weight. Devonta Smith put on a few pounds after he was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Commanders should adopt a similar approach with their first-round pick.

Both Forbes and Smith weighed 166 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine. It’s interesting because we could see the cornerback covering the wideout for many years to come.

Should Forbes ever find himself lined up against Philly’s other receiver, A.J. Brown, he will be giving away 60 pounds. That could be a problem.