Getty Washington Commanders against the New England Patriots.
The Washington Commanders hold the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft and the expectation is for them to draft Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels. With the No. 1 pick, the Chicago Bears are expected to select Caleb Williams.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN released his mock draft with all trades, proposing a deal that would send the New England Patriots the No. 2 pick if the Commanders don’t have a preference for Daniels or Maye. In Barnwell’s proposal, the Commanders would get the No. 3 pick, No. 68 pick, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2024 fourth-round pick.
“If the Commanders don’t have a preference between Jayden Daniels (LSU) and Drake Maye, this would be one way for them to trade down and amass a meaningful amount of extra draft capital while still remaining in position to land one of the two standout quarterbacks.
“And for the Patriots, this would be a way for them to ensure they land the quarterback of their choosing if they have a significant preference,” Barnwell wrote in an April 18 column. “The draft capital they’re giving up is a lot — it’s about what the 49ers sent to acquire Christian McCaffrey — but it’s not very much if it means landing the right quarterback.”
Why This Trade Makes Sense for the Commanders
The idea of trading back with the New England Patriots in this scenario would land the Washington Commanders three extra picks to draft a quarterback they still have confidence in.
Barnwell added that moving down can be “awfully valuable” as the Commanders can find talent in the future.
“Why would the Commanders move down one spot when they can land the guy they feel slightly better about? Those other draft picks can be awfully valuable. The last time a team traded up from No. 3 to No. 2 was 2017, when the Bears moved up in a deal with the 49ers. Chicago chose Mitch Trubisky. The 49ers took Solomon Thomas and landed two third-round picks and a fourth-rounder for their troubles.”
Austin Mock of The Athletic ranked each NFL team’s roster, ranking the Commanders last. He used his projection model to rank each roster, which takes into account an “array of metrics” and attempts to put a value on every player.
“There isn’t much to say about the worst roster in the NFL. The Commanders will very likely be drafting their QB of the future, and with the rest of their picks, they’ll simply be looking to acquire talent. A couple of bright spots: My model is a big Frankie Luvu fan, so I think the linebackers should be solid and so, too, should the interior OL.”
Adding a pick in the 2024 draft and two future ones allows them to continue adding talent, which Mock believes they need.
Commanders GM ‘Feels Great’ About No. 2 Pick
Adam Peters, the Washington Commanders general manager, told reporters on April 18 that they “feel great” about staying at No. 2.
#Commanders GM Adam Peters, talking to reporters today: “We feel great about staying at No. 2. Don’t see a lot of scenarios where we trade down.”
Many mock drafts have the Commanders drafting Daniels, including Dan Parr of NFL.com.
“The buzz continues to build in the Heisman Trophy winner’s favor at No. 2, and don’t be surprised if the Commanders aggressively move to upgrade Daniels’ supporting cast via the draft (more on that in a bit),” Parr wrote in his April 18 mock draft.