3 realistic NFL Draft scenarios facing the Commanders at No. 2 overall

Commanders could trade to No. 1 overall

The best thing about having the No. 2 pick in the draft is not being able to pick the second-best player. The best thing about it is the leverage and flexibility it offers.

Let’s play this out. Perhaps the Chicago Bears do their pre-draft work and decide the player they want is Marvin Harrison Jr. They will either stick with incumbent quarterback Justin Fields or draft a signal-caller late - perhaps at No. 9 overall.

If this is Ryan Poles’ plan, the first team he will negotiate with is the Washington Commanders. That is the only way he can be assured of getting Harrison. He might be able to create a bidding war with the New England Patriots at No. 3 - who also need a quarterback.

In this scenario, the Commanders control the narrative here because if the Bears drop to No. 3, Washington could trade out with a team that wants Harrison. There’s a lot of chicken played at this point. Chicago would likely prefer to remove all uncertainty and trade with the one team they know ensures they get a generational wide receiver.

Though the draft chart says that moving up one spot should only cost Washington one of its two second-rounders, these things never work out that cleanly. With New England and perhaps another team or two in the conversation, the Commanders will have to shell out more to land Caleb Williams.

A probable trade option would see Washington get the No. 1 pick to spend on Williams. Chicago gets the No. 2 pick, the Commanders' pick at No. 36, and their 2025 first-rounder. Poles would then be able to select Harrison and possibly use his abundance of draft capital to move back up for Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels if he so desires.

For the record, though I admire Williams’ upside, I would not make this deal if I were Washington.