4 first-round mistakes that continue to haunt Commanders
By Dean Jones
What first-round mistakes continue to haunt the Washington Commanders as they look for better fortunes under general manager Adam Peters?
The Washington Commanders are not one of the NFL's worst teams by accident. It's been a constant stream of personnel failures through free agency and the draft. Some hits arrived in recent years, but their suspect moves have prevented the franchise from laying the right foundations for sustained contention.
Hopefully, this is something that can change under new general manager Adam Peters. The respected front-office figure has achieved success wherever he's gone. Considering the resources available - both financial and in terms of draft capital - hopes are high for a quicker-than-expected turnaround for this once-proud organization.
While everyone is looking forward with a sense of optimism, one cannot help but look bad at the errors made previously. Some still have a lingering effect on the Commanders. It's also a predicament Peters is looking to avoid at all costs.
With this in mind, here are four first-round mistakes that continue to haunt the Commanders.
Commanders ignored Christian Gonzalez
We won't spend much time on this because there is still time for Emmanuel Forbes to turn things around. It was a rookie campaign to forget for the cornerback, who wasn't ready for the responsibilities given to him by those in power. The Washington Commanders expected him to be a shutdown presence right out of the gate. Unfortunately, the reality couldn't have been further from the truth.
Forbes struggled against No. 1 wideouts. He was overwhelmed physically - a major concern during his pre-draft evaluations. The coaching staff deserve their fair share of blame, but there is a lot of hard work ahead for the Mississippi State ballhawk.
The Commanders were so steadfast in their belief of Forbes, that they completely overlooked what was unfolding in front of them. Christian Gonzalez was projected to be a top-10 or even top-five pick before falling drastically. Washington stayed on its intended course and Bill Belichick took the Oregon product with the next selection.
Gonzalez looked far more accomplished before his campaign was cruelly cut short by injury. Writing Forbes off so soon into his career would be foolish, but any further struggles would see him enter the dreaded draft bust category this time next year.