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The Washington Commanders need a little bit of everything and might be willing to go all-in to get it with a blockbuster trade in the 2024 NFL draft.
PFF’s Trevor Sikkema laid out a scenario in his latest mock draft in which the Commanders trade four draft picks to the Denver Broncos in exchange for the No. 12 pick in 2024 to take UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu.
The Broncos would receive a 2024 second-round pick (No. 36), a 2024 third-round pick (No. 67), plus a second-round pick and fifth-round pick in 2025.
“I wanted to explore a world where Washington used some of its additional Day 2 capital to move up for a trench player,” Sikkema wrote. “The Commanders signed Dorance Armstrong and Clelin Ferrell in free agency, but that doesn’t make up for their need for a top edge rusher. Latu had the highest pass-rush grade and highest pass-rush win percentage of any pass rusher in college football over the last two years.”
Latu’s draft stock has risen considerably since the end of the 2023 season after he led the nation in tackles for loss per game (1.8), led the Pac-12 with 13.0 sacks and was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Laiatu Latu Compared to 2021 NFL Defensive POY
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein compared Latu to Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end T.J. Watt, the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, a five-time NFL All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler.
“Latu possesses the kind of rare maturity to his game that you usually see from NFL veterans,” Zierlein wrote. “He rarely stays blocked by tackles as a run defender and dominates blocking tight ends on the collegiate level. His pass-rush approach is both well conceived and instinctive, and he’s brilliant at taking possession of the rep using clever hands and slippery angles to pry open opportunities. His eyes play beyond blockers, and he feeds off of a voracious motor that keeps him pushing forward as a run defender and pass rusher … Everything about Latu’s skill set and production is translatable to the NFL, and he could become a Pro Bowler as a 3-4 outside linebacker with a heavy influence on the game.”
The Commanders haven’t selected a defensive end in the first round since taking Ohio State’s Chase Young with the No. 2 overall pick in 2020. Young was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2020 before injuries limited him to just 12 games over the next two seasons and he was eventually traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 2023.
Commanders Among NFL’s Worst in Pressuring QBs
The Commanders finished last in the NFL in total defense in 2023, including finishing 25th in the NFL with 39 sacks. Washington didn’t have a player finish in the Top 75 in the NFL in sacks, led by defensive tackle Jonathan Allen at No. 78 with 5.5 sacks.
Latu is one of two edge rushers Sikkema has the Commanders projected to select in 2024, along with Clemson’s Xavier Thomas in the third round at No. 100 overall.
“(Thomas) is an explosive edge rusher with a relentless style that is tough to block,” Sikkema wrote. “He might not be much of a run defender with his measurables, but Washington can set him up in passing situations to just pin his ears back and go. If the Commanders do that, I believe he can be an impact player for them.”
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