The Washington Commanders hold the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft, giving them a prime opportunity to land a potential franchise quarterback. While it’s never guaranteed that a player ends up being as good as expected, three quarterbacks are viewed as high-level prospects in this draft. Due to the talent, there’s a scenario where the Commanders could trade the pick back a spot or two if they’re guaranteed to draft one of Drake Maye, Caleb Williams, or Jayden Daniels. Of the teams that could be looking to move up, the New England Patriots are a team that makes sense.
In the proposed trade from Joe Tansey of Bleacher Report, the Commanders would receive picks No. 3, 68, and 180. The Patriots would receive just the No. 2 pick.
“The biggest factor in this hypothetical would be Washington and New England rating a different quarterback at the top of their draft boards behind Williams. For example, if New England rated Daniels as its top prospect out of him, Maye and McCarthy, but Washington preferred Maye or McCarthy, a swap could happen.
“New England could also move up to prevent Washington from taking its top target, but that would require more work. New England would have to do a straight pick swap so that Washington would get its quarterback at No. 3. The Patriots would have to include at least one more high pick, likely from the second or third round, to complete the deal. A deal with the Commanders may not happen if the Patriots are comfortable with their situation at No. 3, but you can never rule anything out in the NFL draft.”
Should the Commanders Move Back a Spot?
The Washington Commanders moving back one spot with the New England Patriots would be the right thing to do if they don’t have a preference for any of the two quarterbacks remaining.
Given the Chicago Bears are expected to draft Williams, the Commanders will likely have a decision to make between Maye or Daniels. If the front office believes in both of them and thinks both quarterbacks can find success, adding the two other picks from the Patriots in this proposed trade would be a smart idea.
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn spoke with NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero at the League Meetings, discussing the chance of them drafting a quarterback.
“I would say it’d be fair to envision we’d be taking a quarterback,” Quinn said. “To say where it’ll be happening, I think that’s a better question for (general manager) Adam (Peters).
“As the next weeks unfold there’ll be a lot of discussion, and that’s why we’ve had a great trip out seeing some guys, we’ll do that some more in the weeks ahead, but I’ve enjoyed that process with Adam, and going through it. He’s somebody that is an absolute expert at this position, what it looks like, where to go, and so going through that process has been really cool.”
Quinn all but confirms them drafting a quarterback.
Recent Commanders Mock Drafts
In a recent mock draft from Arjun Menon of PFF, he has the Washington Commanders drafting Daniels at No. 2.
“Daniels is the favorite to be selected No. 2 overall at most sportsbooks. While this could change before the draft, the markets seem to think he will be new general manager Adam Peters’ first draft pick in Washington.
“It is worth noting that Peters was part of the 49ers contingent that led everyone to believe Mac Jones would be the third overall pick in 2021, and they ended up with Trey Lance. So, a player like Drake Maye could still be the pick.”
In the mock draft, Menon had the New England Patriots drafting Maye at No. 3.
A tough decision for the Commanders, but one they’ll look to get right after searching for a quarterback for many of the past few seasons.
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