4 critical personnel flaws during former Commanders HC Ron Rivera's tenure

Commanders drafted Chase Young over a QB

Hindsight is a wonderful thing to have. When Ron Rivera came into the now-Washington Commanders, they held the No. 2 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. This was an outstanding opportunity to get a franchise quarterback from the college ranks with so many questions surrounding Dwayne Haskins.

Haskins was taken No. 15 overall the year before. Whether Rivera thought it was too soon to give up on the player is debatable. There was also a potentially generational pass-rusher there for the taking if the Cincinnati Bengals went with LSU quarterback Joe Burrow as expected.

Chase Young was tabbed as the next prolific edge presence coming out of Ohio State, His college tape was phenomenal. His elite-level traits were easily transferable to the pros. As it turned out, it was something Rivera couldn't look away from.

Things looked promising enough for Young in Year 1. He flashed moments of promise and won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. This ended up being the highlight thanks to injury and poor performance. The defensive end was traded to the San Francisco 49ers for nothing more than a conditional third-round selection before the 2023 deadline.

One has to wonder how Rivera's time with the Commanders would have gone if he'd drafted Justin Herbert or Tua Tagovailoa. Things might have been different. Unfortunately for the fired head coach, we'll never know.