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When Washington fired general manager and team president Bruce Allen after the 2019 season, hopes were high. Then, former owner Daniel Snyder announced the hiring of former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera. Rivera would not only be the new coach, but he'd also be the de facto GM and head of football operations.
In his first draft, the 2020 NFL Draft, Rivera selected Ohio State All-American defensive end Chase Young. Young would win the 2020 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, as Washington shockingly made the playoffs by winning the NFC East with a 7-9 record.
That was where the fun ended.
Over the next three seasons, Rivera won seven, eight and four games, respectively. He was fired after the 2023 season. Speaking of that 2023 season, that's when Josh Harris and his partners bought the Commanders from a disgraced Snyder.
In 2024, Harris hired Adam Peters as the general manager and Dan Quinn as head coach. In their first year together, the Commanders shocked everyone by winning 12 games and advancing to the NFC Championship Game for the first time in 33 years.
It was truly impressive what Peters and Quinn accomplished in 2024. Why? They accomplished it without any help from Rivera's four first-round draft picks. Young was traded midway through the 2023 season. 2022 first-round pick Jahan Dotson was traded in training camp, while Peters released 2021 first-round pick Jamin Davis and 2023 first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes during the season.
Good luck finding a worse four-year run of first-round picks than Washington had from 2020-23. While Young has rebounded and is now enjoying a solid career, he didn't quite live up to being the No. 2 overall pick.
You know who has? Jayden Daniels. The Commanders used the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to select Daniels. He was named the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
How good and bad were Washington's picks this decade? Mike Renner of CBS Sports recently ranked every first-round pick (191 picks) from 2020 through 2025. Let's look at where each Commanders' pick landed.
While rankings are subjective, it's fair to say Renner paints an accurate picture here. Daniels and Conerly are picks made by Peters. What Renner is saying is that Dotson, Davis and Forbes were all terrible picks. He's correct.
Washington thought so little of Dotson that he was traded within the division to the Philadelphia Eagles. That was a win for Peters. Davis has spent time with five different organizations since being waived in October 2024. Forbes appeared in six games for Washington in 2024 before being waived. He's been with the Los Angeles Rams since, but they completely revamped their cornerback room this offseason and did not pick up his fifth-year option.
Every draft pick is important. It's how you build depth. But first-round picks are the most important. You can't miss those. The Commanders missed on five of six before Peters arrived in 2024, with four of those happening on Rivera's watch.
So, when you see Washington's lack of frontline players, you can attribute it to its lack of draft success for four consecutive years.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders' first-round failures stand out in draft rankings
Continue reading...
In his first draft, the 2020 NFL Draft, Rivera selected Ohio State All-American defensive end Chase Young. Young would win the 2020 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, as Washington shockingly made the playoffs by winning the NFC East with a 7-9 record.
That was where the fun ended.
Over the next three seasons, Rivera won seven, eight and four games, respectively. He was fired after the 2023 season. Speaking of that 2023 season, that's when Josh Harris and his partners bought the Commanders from a disgraced Snyder.
In 2024, Harris hired Adam Peters as the general manager and Dan Quinn as head coach. In their first year together, the Commanders shocked everyone by winning 12 games and advancing to the NFC Championship Game for the first time in 33 years.
It was truly impressive what Peters and Quinn accomplished in 2024. Why? They accomplished it without any help from Rivera's four first-round draft picks. Young was traded midway through the 2023 season. 2022 first-round pick Jahan Dotson was traded in training camp, while Peters released 2021 first-round pick Jamin Davis and 2023 first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes during the season.
Good luck finding a worse four-year run of first-round picks than Washington had from 2020-23. While Young has rebounded and is now enjoying a solid career, he didn't quite live up to being the No. 2 overall pick.
You know who has? Jayden Daniels. The Commanders used the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to select Daniels. He was named the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
How good and bad were Washington's picks this decade? Mike Renner of CBS Sports recently ranked every first-round pick (191 picks) from 2020 through 2025. Let's look at where each Commanders' pick landed.
- Jayden Daniels (2024): No. 7
- Josh Conerly Jr. (2025): No. 68
- Chase Young (2020): No. 93
- Jahan Dotson (2022): No. 153
- Jamin Davis (2021): No. 177
- Emmanuel Forbes (2023): No. 184
While rankings are subjective, it's fair to say Renner paints an accurate picture here. Daniels and Conerly are picks made by Peters. What Renner is saying is that Dotson, Davis and Forbes were all terrible picks. He's correct.
Washington thought so little of Dotson that he was traded within the division to the Philadelphia Eagles. That was a win for Peters. Davis has spent time with five different organizations since being waived in October 2024. Forbes appeared in six games for Washington in 2024 before being waived. He's been with the Los Angeles Rams since, but they completely revamped their cornerback room this offseason and did not pick up his fifth-year option.
Every draft pick is important. It's how you build depth. But first-round picks are the most important. You can't miss those. The Commanders missed on five of six before Peters arrived in 2024, with four of those happening on Rivera's watch.
So, when you see Washington's lack of frontline players, you can attribute it to its lack of draft success for four consecutive years.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders' first-round failures stand out in draft rankings
Continue reading...
