Ranking the 15 biggest NFL Draft steals in Washington Commanders history
By Jonathan Eig
15. Wilbur Moore - 1939, Round No. 9
Wilbur Moore played every backfield position for the now-Washington Commanders, both on offense and defense, except for quarterback. The University of Minnesota product spent his entire eight-year career in DC and rarely came off the field.
He helped fill the void left by the retirement of Pro Football Hall of Fame back Cliff Battles following the 1937 season and the early retirement of quarterback Riley Smith after an injury in 1938. Moore accounted for over 2,000 yards running and catching during his career and found the end zone 24 times. He also picked off 13 passes.
His grandest moment came in the 1942 title game against the Chicago Bears, in which he picked off a second-quarter pass and then caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from Sammy Baugh to give Washington a lead it would not relinquish on its way to the second championship in franchise history.
14. George Starke - 1971, Round No. 11
The Head Hog came out of Columbia University in 1971, the beginning of the George Allen era.
Since Allen traded away almost all of the team’s high draft picks to acquire veterans, he had to hit on a few later-round picks. George Starke was cut in his first season but came back to make the squad the following year. He soon took over from the aging Walt Rock at right tackle and was a mainstay for the rest of the decade.
Starke had been the kid on those Allen lines. By the time the 1980s rolled around, he was the veteran, shepherding in the new batch of linemen like Russ Grimm and Joe Jacoby. The Hogs gained national prominence as they powered Washington to its first Super Bowl championship at the end of the 1982 campaign.
The 11th-round draft pick was the leader of the unit. Now well into his 30s, he would eventually cede his right tackle spot to Mark May in 1984 after starting 147 games for the team.
13. Monte Coleman - 1979, Round No. 11
No one besides Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrell Green suited up for the professional football team in Washington more than Monte Coleman, who was drafted out of Central Arkansas in the 11th round of the 1979 NFL Draft. That was a good year for steals.
Coleman played most of his career as a special teamer and backup. The linebacker would often come in on third down and use his great speed and agility to cover opposing backs. Later in his career, he did start a fair number of games.
It didn’t matter whether he started or not. Coleman was often on the field at crunch time. He was on the field enough to register more than 1,000 tackles, also second only to Green in franchise history.