Tag: 2023 Commanders Draft

What cornerback will be available for the Commanders at No. 16?

It will be interesting if one of the top cornerbacks falls to Washington at No. 16.

If the Commanders want a cornerback at No. 16 overall in this week’s 2023 NFL draft, will there be one good enough to be dependable for the next decade?

The vast majority of 2023 mock drafts have seen the Commanders select either an offensive tackle or a cornerback. Sunday, Commanders Wire looked into the various options the Commanders might have at No. 16 if they select an offensive tackle.

Today, what if the Commanders actually select a cornerback at No. 16? Is there a consensus on who the most likely candidates are for a cornerback to be chosen in the No. 16 position?

Overwhelmingly, there have been two consistent trends in nearly every mock draft regarding cornerbacks. Devon Witherspoon (Illinois) is most often the first corner to be drafted, and when not, I don’t know that I recall seeing him lower than the second corner chosen. The chances are highly unlikely Witherspoon will still be available at No. 16.

The other consistency has been Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State) has been the cornerback Washington has taken in the most mock drafts. Porter is virtually always seen as a No.12-No.20 selection.

A third option that has been observed is Washington at No. 16 selecting Maryland corner Deonte Banks. Banks has developed at Maryland, and his NFL combine numbers of 4.35 in the 40-yard dash with a 42-inch vertical and an 11-foot-4 broad jump certainly illustrated his explosiveness as an athlete.

One other possibility at corner for the Commanders would be to keep an eye on Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez. Most mock drafts have Gonzalez being selected prior to No. 16, but if for example there is a run on offensive tackles Thursday night in round one, that would mean some others will unexpectedly be available for the Commanders at 16.

When Washington has drafted at No. 47 in the NFL draft

Washington has selected at No. 47 overall three times in its history. How has the franchise fared?

With the Commanders scheduled to go on the clock at No. 47 overall in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft Friday, you might wonder, “How many times has Washington drafted in the No. 47 position?”

Since the beginning of the Super Bowl era (1966 season) Washington has drafted in the No. 47 position just three times. Those three players were Phidarian Mathis (2022), Trent Murphy (2014) and Shane Collins (1992).

Mathis, a 6-foot-4, 312-pound defensive tackle from Alabama was taken in round two by the Commanders last year. He thus was the second player drafted by the Commanders. He was drafted because Daron Payne was entering the last year of his contract. However, Payne ended up enjoying his best season by far and re-signed in March. Mathis, unfortunately, went down in his very first game against the Jaguars and was lost for the season with a bad knee injury.

Washington Redskins defensive end Trent Murphy (93) sacks Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Murphy, a Stanford 6-6, 260-pound defensive end was taken in the second round in the 2014 draft. Washington had Murphy playing outside linebacker in a 3-4 defensive scheme. His pass coverage was suspect, but Murphy did contribute as a pass rusher with 15 sacks and 42 QB Hits in his three seasons in Washington. Murphy was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the 2017 season due to PED use. In addition, he tore an ACL during a preseason game and was lost for all of the 2017 season. Signing as a free agent with the Bills, Murphy played his final three NFL seasons (2018-20) in Buffalo.

4 Oct 1992: Defensive lineman Shane Collins of the Washington Redskins gets blocked during a game against the Phoenix Cardinals at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Powell /Allsport

The defending Super Bowl Champion Redskins selected Collins in the second round of the 1992 draft. The 6-3, 267-pound defensive end out of Arizona State disappointed however, only starting ten games in his three NFL seasons. In three seasons he only played in 30 games, contributing one sack and one fumble recovery.

The No. 47 spot has not produced very much for Washington in their three opportunities. The Commanders really need to come through in this position Friday night in round two, finding a player who will have a huge impact for years to come in Washington.

 

New mock draft lands Commanders a CB climbing draft boards

A local star lands in Washington in a new mock draft.

With the 2023 NFL draft only 2 and a-half weeks away (April 27-29), it is now when you begin to notice players trending upward or downward in the voluminous mock drafts.

In the newest CBS Sports mock draft by Tom Fornelli, the Commanders take one of those players that, in the last few weeks, has been trending upward in mock drafts.

With the 16th selection, Fornelli has the Commanders selecting Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks. Have you noticed how Banks’ performance at the Scouting Combine has resulted in his stock evaluation rising in more minds?

Fornelli had this to say about why the Commanders would choose Banks:

Deonte Banks has developed a cult following since his performance at the combine. He ran a 4.35 40 with a 42-inch vertical and 136-inch broad jump. He’s a tremendous athlete and uses it to recover from potential mistakes.

It is pretty much conventional wisdom that for this particular draft, the Commanders are going to select a cornerback or offensive tackle in the first round if they remain at the 16th draft position. If they trade down, they would obtain another pick or two, and this could alter the order in which they would select players.

Another player climbing mock drafts in the last two weeks that I’ve noticed is Tennessee Volunteers offensive tackle Darnell Wright. Wright is moving up in his evaluation and could be available at No. 16 for the Commanders in the actual draft.

Fornelli has Wright moving earlier and being taken in the 13th position by the New York Jets.

As for the Commanders’ interest in cornerbacks and offensive tackles in the first round?

Fornelli has CB Devon Witherspoon (Illinois) going 6th to the Lions and CB Christian Gonzalez (Oregon) 15th to the Packers, and Joey Porter Jr (Penn State) 17th to the Steelers.

OT Peter Skoronski (Northwestern) goes 7th to the Raiders, OT Paris Johnson (Ohio State) 9th to the Patriots, Broderick Jones (Georgia) 11th to the Titans, with Wright (Tennessee)13th to the Jets.

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CBS Sports mock draft lands Commanders cornerback at No. 16

Another mock draft likes Joey Porter Jr. to the Commanders.

A new NFL draft mock draft has landed the Commanders a top cornerback.

CBS Sports and Pete Prisco have updated his mock draft and published it Tuesday.

After the first 15 selections were made, Prisco had the Commanders address a need that several analysts have projected to be their first-round pick. Prisco had the Commanders choosing to grab Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr.

Like Benjamin St-Juste, Porter is long, measuring at 6-foot-3 and weighing 193 pounds. If Porter were to be the choice, he would join St-Juste (third season) and Kendall Fuller (eighth season) as the projected top corners.

Other corners currently on the roster are Christian Holmes (second year), Danny Johnson (sixth season), Rachad Wildgoose (third season), Troy Apke (sixth season), Tariq Castro-Fields (second season), Cameron Dantzler (fourth season), Damarcus Fields (second season).

Four quarterbacks were taken in the top ten of Prisco’s mock draft: 1- C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) to the Panthers, 2- Bryce Young (Alabama) to the Texans, 3- Anthony Richardson (Florida) to the Colts in a trade up from 4, and 7- Will Levis (Kentucky) to the Raiders.

Porter is the third cornerback in this mock draft to be selected: Christian Gonzalez (8th to the Falcons) and Devon Witherspoon (Illinois) went to the Patriots.

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Chris Simms’ top 5 receivers in 2023 NFL draft

The Commanders aren’t looking for a receiver this year, but Simms has an interesting list, especially at No. 1.

The Commanders have Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, so it is highly unlikely the Commanders would use the 16th overall selection in the 2023 NFL draft on a wide receiver.

However, Pro Football Talk’s Chris Simms has produced his annual top-five wide receivers from this upcoming draft class.

 

Chris Simms’ top 5 quarterbacks in 2023 NFL draft

The former NFL quarterback has a surprise order in his rankings.

With the Washington Commanders owning the 16th position in the upcoming 2023 NFL draft, Commanders Wire begins a series of looking at the top five players at each position.

Pro Football Talk’s Chris Simms has begun his annual film study and evaluation of each position.

Today we learn Simms’ top-5 quarterbacks in the class of 2023. Interestingly enough, when it comes to the quarterbacks, Simms determined that two quarterbacks really should not be separated. Consequently, he has the two tied for the fifth spot.

“I want all these six guys to be in the top five because if somebody gets ranked sixth, they’ll get left out of the conversation,” explained Simms.

Commanders choose cornerback in new CBS Sports NFL mock draft

One of the top cornerback prospects land in Washington in this mock draft.

Who did the Commanders select in the CBS Sports NFL mock draft that was conducted live Monday night?

Four quarterbacks were chosen in the top six selections as CBS Sports conducted their 2023 mock draft 2.0.

Those four quarterbacks were Alabama’s Bryce Young going first to the Panthers, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud second to the Texans, Florida’s Anthony Richardson fourth to the Colts and Kentucky’s Will Levis sixth to the Raiders who moved up one spot in a trade with the Lions.

At the No. 16 selection, the Washington Commanders selected Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon. This is of note because the Commanders also need an offensive tackle. It is no secret that if an offensive tackle worthy of the 16th selection is still on the board, the Commanders would give that very serious consideration in the upcoming April draft.

However, in Monday’s mock draft, three offensive tackles had been taken earlier when the Bears chose Ohio State’s Paris Johnson (9th), the Titans grabbed Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski (11th) and the Jets picked Georgia’s Broderick Jones (13th).

Also of note is that cornerback Joey Porter, Jr. (Penn State), who has been linked with the Commanders at No. 16 in some mock drafts, was taken two spots earlier by the Patriots in the 14th draft position.

Commanders Wire will keep an eye out on the various mock drafts, checking to see if a cornerback or offensive tackle worthy of the 16th selection is chosen for the Commanders.

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Commanders add cornerback in updated mock draft

The Commanders land a local product in new mock draft.

The Draft Network’s Brentley Weissman executed their newest mock draft Sunday night.

What did he have for the Commanders at No. 16?

As expected, quarterbacks were the early focus, as three of the top four chosen were quarterbacks. C.J. Stroud went to the Panthers, Bryce Young to the Texans and Anthony Richardson to the Colts.

Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson went No. 3 to the Cardinals. Four consecutive defensive players were chosen (5-8) Tyree Wilson (Seahawks), Christian Gonzalez (Lions), Jalen Carter (Raiders), Myles Murphy (Falcons).

Some big names who have been mentioned as possible Commanders’ targets were available at the Washington’s No. 16 selection: Joey Porter, Jr (Penn State CB), Will Levis (Kentucky QB) and Dalton Kincaid (Utah TE).

However, Weissman had the Commanders selecting Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks. Here is what he said about Banks:

Deonte Banks is a fast riser who had an outstanding NFL Combine but also has excellent film. He fills a big need for the Commanders and helps solidify this secondary.

The NFC East teams saw the Eagles with the Saints selection at No. 10 choose Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon, the Giants at No. 26 took TCU WR Quentin Johnston, the Cowboys grabbed Georgia Edge rusher Nolan Smith, and the Eagles at No. 31 seized Pitt DL Calijah Kancey.

There will be more changes; however, the draft is only a little over a month from now. So, there will also be trends upward, and downward that will become noticeable for some players.

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How should the Commanders/Rivera feel about Florida QB Anthony Richardson?

The Commanders need help in 2023, and Anthony Richardson may not provide that.

Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson as expected, has tested extremely well, breaking some NFL Scouting Combine QB marks.

How should the Commanders feel about Richardson?

If you like SEC football and watched even just a few of the Florida Gators 2022 games, you most likely saw QB Anthony Richardson make some spectacular plays.

Consequently, for those who have seen many of Richardson’s games for Florida, it was absolutely not the slightest surprise to find Richardson at the scouting combine scoring the highest among quarterbacks in the 40, the vertical jump and broad jump. Richardson is simply one of the most explosive athletes to have ever played the position.

Head coach Ron Rivera made it clear this past week that for now, Sam Howell is the QB1, but he is not necessarily the starter. Understandably, Howell is Rivera’s top guy for now. If anyone comes his way that he feels can be the starter, then, of course, Rivera will look at that player as well.

Richardson has tremendous upside. His ceiling could be much higher than we imagine, seeing he already tested better in three ways than Cam Newton did.

The Cam Newton comparison might be significant and quite relevant, seeing Rivera drafted and went with Newton during his days of coaching the Carolina Panthers.

Yet, there is this. Rivera is entering the fourth year of a five-year contract. He has won 7,7 and 8 games his first three seasons. If Rivera doesn’t have a winner this upcoming 2023 season, the new owner may determine to go with his own chosen head coach at that time.

Richardson this week is shooting up draft boards, and once everyone calms down and looks again at actual game film of Richardson actually passing the ball in 2022, he most likely will level out and could be available at the No. 16 Washington selection.

However, look for Ron Rivera and the Commanders to pass on Richardson, understandably choosing to draft a player who can best contribute to the 2023 Commanders team.