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 a hypothetical trade suggested by 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 main thing in this hypothetical trade would be if Washington and New England have different top quarterback choices. For instance, if New England likes Daniels the most out of him, Maye, and McCarthy, but Washington prefers Maye or McCarthy, a trade could occur.
New England might also move up to stop Washington from taking its top choice, but that would be more complicated. New England would have to swap picks so that Washington gets its quarterback at No. 3. The Patriots would also have to give at least one more high pick, probably from the second or third round, to finalize the deal. The trade might not happen if the Patriots are happy at No. 3, but anything can happen in the NFL draft.
Should the Commanders Move Back a Spot?
It would make sense for the Washington Commanders to move back one spot with the New England Patriots if they don’t have a preference for any of the two remaining quarterbacks.
Given the Chicago Bears are expected to draft Williams, so the Commanders will likely need to choose 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's important to mention that Peters was part of the 49ers group 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 simulated draft, Menon predicted that the New England Patriots would select Maye at No. 3.
A difficult choice for the Commanders, but one they’ll aim to get right after searching for a quarterback for many of the past few seasons.
