New Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters has a franchise-altering decision to make in next week’s NFL Draft.
Washington boasts the No. 2 pick in the annual event and will likely select a potential franchise quarterback with that pick.
The Commanders have been linked to the likes Drake Maye (North Carolina), Jayden Daniels (LSU) and J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) with that selection. Assuming Caleb Williams goes No. 1 overall to the Chicago Bears, Peters and Co. will have their pick of the litter.
Most recently, Washington has been linked to a specific quarterback prospect. However, the team will be meeting with those three options mentioned above over the next week or so.
The question here is obvious. Will Washington consider a potential trade down to collect more assets? While it seems highly unlikely, teams are calling them up to gauge interest in a trade down.
“They’re getting teams who are calling saying, ‘Hey, what would it take to get to No. 2 overall?’ I do not expect the Washington Commanders to move out of that pick, I think they’ll select a quarterback but there are calls being made right now.”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Washington Commanders (h/t Bleacher Report)
Several teams are looking to trade up to the No. 2 spot for a quarterback. The Minnesota Vikings acquired an additional first-round pick in a trade with the Houston Texans earlier this offseason. Minnesota now boasts the 11th and 23rd picks in the first round a week from Thursday. The Vikings have been linked to trade-up scenarios since making that move with Houston.
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The Denver Broncos (12th), Las Vegas Raiders (13th) and New Orleans Saints (14th) have also been bandied about as potential trade-up partners.
For now, the expectation is that Washington will keep the No. 2 pick with Jayden Daniels being the likely target. Though., McCarthy continues to ascend draft boards leading up to the annual event.