Commanders deep dive: Washington's fickle history of first-round quarterbacks

Under the most liberal definition of the position, Jayden Daniels is the 15th quarterback selected by the Washington Commanders in the first round of the NFL Draft. With one notable exception, it is not a happy history.

A majority of those high draft picks have had negligible impact on the team’s success. Some had modest careers, while others never even suited up for the Washington franchise.

Choosing an exact number is complicated by the nature of the position in the earliest days of the draft. During the 1930s and 1940s - before the league transitioned to the T formation offense - some version of the single wing was the common alignment. In the single wing, the player identified as the “quarterback” barely resembled a 21st-century version.

He did typically call signals and occasionally threw the ball, but he was more often employed as a blocker for the tailback who lined up behind him. In the single wing, the snap might go to any of the four players lined up behind the center. That’s why Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Sammy Baugh was listed in official NFL records as a tailback for the first part of his career.

Baugh was the gold standard - among the greatest draft picks in franchise history. He played his entire 16-year career with Washington, leading the team to multiple championships. The end of his career signaled the onset of a prolonged period of ineptitude - several decades during which they struggled to merely remain competitive.

The Washington Commanders, regardless of their nickname at the time, have been trying to find the successor to Baugh for almost 90 years. Every quarterback who has led the franchise to sustained success has been acquired outside the first round.

Time will reveal whether Jayden Daniels can be that first-round savior. While we await his debut, let’s take a quick look at the 14 men who preceded him as quarterbacks selected in the first round.

Washington Commanders first-round quarterbacks throughout franchise history

Riley Smith - 1936

Riley Smith played just three seasons in the NFL, but his impact was significant. He was the franchise's very first draft pick, chosen while the team was still located in Boston.

Smith was an outstanding athlete who did a little bit of everything for Washington. He occasionally passed the ball, but he also ran, blocked, and caught passes. He kicked 11 field goals during his three seasons, and his pick-six early in 1937 sealed victory in the very first game played in the nation's capital.

Later that season, Smith was the starting quarterback in Washington’s first NFL championship victory. Though Sammy Baugh threw the touchdown passes, he called the signals and converted all four extra points.

Smith retired from football after the 1938 season, in part due to injury, and in part due to the low salary players received in the NFL’s early years.