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How did others view Washington’s Day 2 draft haul?
The Washington Commanders finished Day 2 of the 2023 NFL draft by picking two players at positions of need.
After selecting Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes in the first round, Washington doubled down, taking Illinois cornerback Jartavius Martin in the second round Friday. Finally, the Commanders added help on the offensive line by selecting Arkansas center Ricky Stromberg.
We here at Commanders Wire graded each pick.
How did others view Washington’s Day 2 haul?
A look at where each of Washington’s selections are on Day 3 of the NFL draft.
Just like that, the first two rounds of the 2023 NFL draft are in the books. For the Washington Commanders, that means they’ve added three new players to the burgundy and gold.
Cornerback Emmanuel Forbes [No. 16], cornerback Jartavius Martin [No. 47] and center Ricky Stromberg [No. 97] are the newest Commanders.
While general manager Martin Mayhew stayed quiet on the first two days, selecting in Washington’s original positions, he admitted last week he preferred to move back if he had a willing partner. The Commanders had no trade partner in the first round, and Washington attempted to get back to the top of the second round but wasn’t willing to part with the picks in order to move to No. 32.
What happens on Day 3 of the draft?
Washington enters Saturday with five picks remaining. The Commanders are first on the clock at No. 118 overall Saturday. Here’s a look at each of Washington’s picks on the draft’s final day.
We grade Washington’s Day Two selections. Let us know your grades.
The Washington Commanders selected Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes No. 16 overall, in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
What position would Washington address on Day Two?
When the Commanders were on the clock at No. 47 overall, several talented players at multiple positions of interest remained. Would Washington go with an offensive lineman, such as Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz?
Or would the Commanders add an edge rusher?
Washington surprised us all, selecting Illinois cornerback Jartavius Martin. Some Washington fans were upset, only because the team passed on an offensive lineman.
Finally, the Commanders were back on the clock toward the end of round three, selecting Arkansas center Ricky Stromberg at No. 97 overall.
We break down the grades for both picks, handing out grades for Washington’s Day Two selections.
The best Twitter reactions to the Commanders selecting Jartavius Martin in the second round.
With the 47th pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the Washington Commanders selected Jartavius Martin, CB Illinois.
This comes as a surprise, seeing the Commanders chose a CB in the first round last night, and Cody Mauch, an offensive tackle, was thought high enough by the Tampa Bay Bucs that they selected Mauch with the very next selection.
Coach Ron Rivera has often spoken of how much he looks for “position flex.” Well, he might not find anyone more able to fill more roles than Martin. Last season, Martin spend considerable time playing deep safety, in the box, wide corner and in the slot.
What does he add to the team? Was he the right pick?
The Washington Commanders upset the Twitter GMs again Friday night, selecting Illinois defensive back Jartavius Martin with the No. 47 overall selection in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Remember, Washington selected Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes at No. 16 overall.
So what are the Commanders getting in Martin?
The 5-foot-11, 194-pound Martin is an explosive athlete, running the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds and recording a 44″ vertical leap. Much like his college teammate, Devon Witherspoon, Martin was a late riser, improving in each of his collegiate seasons.
While Forbes will play outside cornerback, Martin is a day-one starter in the slot. Additionally, Martin has the versatility to play deep safety for the Commanders.
Head coach Ron Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio love physicality from their defensive backs, which fits Martin to a tee. Martin is one of the better tackling defensive backs in the draft class.
Here’s Lance Zierlein of NFL.com’s scouting report on Martin:
Versatile cornerback/safety prospect with the size and physical talent to play nickel back or align as a deep safety. A buttery smooth hip swivel allows him to glide and transition effectively from his pedal, but he has just average route recognition to stay connected to clever route runners. Martin’s speed and explosiveness at the NFL Scouting Combine was eye-catching, but he needs to play consistently to that speed on the field. A team will need to decide where to play him, but he has the potential to become an early contributor and a starter further down the road.
The Commanders select Illinois cornerback Jartavius Martin, their second defensive back of the draft.
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With the No. 47 overall selection in the 2023 NFL draft, the Washington Commanders selected Illinois defensive back Jartavius Martin.
Martin is the second defensive back selected by Washington in the draft, following first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes [No. 16 overall].
While Forbes is an outside cornerback, Martin can play the slot for Washington. Additionally, he has the versatility to play safety.
Martin spent five seasons at Illinois, starting games in each of those five seasons, earning All-Big Ten honors in 2022. Martin is the second Illinois defensive back to be selected, following teammate Devon Witherspoon who went No. 5 overall to the Seattle Seahawks.
The 5-foot-11, 194-pound Martin ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds at the NFL combine in March.
Draft day is here, and the talk is over. Well, almost — Bucs Wire has one last mock draft for you:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first draft after the end of the Tom Brady era will set the tone for the franchise in 2023. After making enough moves in free agency with limited cap space to stay afloat this season, the Bucs’ 2023 draft class will be a mission statement for how general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles want to remake the roster.
The Bucs have few immediate needs outside of offensive tackle. Even there, the positional flexibility that All-Pro Tristan Wirfs can provide by playing either left or right tackle keeps Tampa’s options open.
With most of Tampa’s starting jobs filled, this draft will be about building depth, particularly on the defensive line and secondary, and developmental projects for the roster two to three years from now at the offensive skill positions.
In this week’s episode of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell,” Greg names his favorite underrated prospects in the 2023 NFL draft.
Every week, in “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire talks with Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup about the intricacies of the game. With the 2023 draft just around the corner, Greg gets into six of his favorite underrated players in this draft class — guys who won’t be taken in the first round, and maybe not even in the second round, but Greg just enjoyed watching their tape, and he believes them to have impact potential at the next level.
In addition, Greg and Doug get into concepts about the draft, and current positional value, that are highly relevant to the NFL today.
Here are Greg’s All-Underrated players:
You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar” right here:
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This year’s draft is almost here kicking off in less than a week.
The 2023 NFL draft is nearly here as it is set to kick off this coming Thursday with Round 1. The Cleveland Browns won’t get started drafting until later on Friday, being without a first- or second-round pick this year. The team has had a quality free agency period, which gives them plenty of flexibility heading into this year’s draft.
The Browns don’t have to force a position this year as the biggest needs are all rotational and depth pieces. They do need to focus on certain areas but can do so in whatever round a talented player falls to them. Let’s take a look at what I think would be a great haul with an eye for the future.
Martin doesn’t get the attention of Devon Witherspoon but a fantastic Combine workout helped elevate his profile
The Detroit Lions spent another one of their pre-draft visits with a defensive back from Illinois. No, not that one, however…
Jartavius “Quan” Martin from the Fighting Illini made the visit to Allen Park, per numerous sources. The versatile previously met with the Lions during Senior Bowl week.
Martin is primarily a safety, but he’s also got experience and ability to play the slot. At 5-11 and 194 pounds, Martin is probably more of an option to play behind C.J. Garnder-Johnson in the slot in 2023 if he’s drafted by Detroit.
He’s a familiar sight from his days playing alongside Lions safety Kerby Joseph, the team’s third-round pick a year ago. Like Joseph last draft cycle, Martin typically projects in the third-to-fifth rounds. Of course, they were both teammates in the Illini secondary with cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who is one of the leading candidates to be the Lions’ pick at No. 6 overall.
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