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The 2025 NFL draft kicks off Thursday in Green Bay, and the Washington Commanders are hoping for another standout class. After four consecutive weak drafts, new general manager Adam Peters hit a home run in 2024, beginning with star quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Washington has only five picks in this week's draft due to trades for veterans Marshon Lattimore, Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil. The Commanders don't go on the clock until No. 29 overall. While it would be great for Washington to hit on each of its five picks, that's not always the case.
Dating back to 2015, let's look at Washington's worst pick in each class. Unfortunately, in recent years, the worst picks have come in the first round, making the Commanders' success last season even more remarkable.
Here is Washington's worst pick in each draft dating back to the 2015 NFL draft:
Matt Jones spent three seasons with Washington, rushing for 964 yards and six touchdowns in three NFL seasons. Washington released him before his third season. He spent the 2017 season with the Indianapolis Colts and averaged 3.9 yards per carry in his NFL career. He was the weakest link to an otherwise solid draft class.
Josh Doctson spent three seasons with Washington, totaling 33 games played, 81 receptions, 1,100 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He was waived before his fourth season and played only one more NFL game—a huge miss by Scot McCloughan. Su'a Cravens, Washington's second-round pick, was worse than Doctson, but Doctson receives this honor because he was the first-round pick with higher expectations.
This was the class that produced Jonathan Allen. However, Allen's former college teammate, Ryan Anderson, didn't quite experience the same success. Anderson played four seasons for Washington, appearing in 52 games with only four starts, and had just six sacks. Anderson spent time with the Steelers and Giants after Washington, but only ever appeared in five more games.
Injuries and mostly off-field issues cut Guice's NFL career short after just two seasons. He was cut before the 2020 season and never played again. He appeared in five career games, rushing for 245 yards and two touchdowns.
With all due respect to the late Dwayne Haskins, this was a pick Washington should never have made. The only reason the Redskins picked Haskins was because former owner Dan Snyder's son was a high school classmate of Haskins in Maryland. Haskins was cut before his second NFL season ended. He appeared in 16 games and passed for 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. In fairness to Haskins, he was also drafted into a bad situation.
Things started well, with Young winning the NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year award. However, he was far from dominant, recording just 7.5 sacks. Still, it was a promising rookie season. Young started believing in his own hype, skipped offseason activities, and was injured midway through the 2021 season and has never been the same. Young will begin his second season with the New Orleans Saints in 2025 — his third NFL team.
Jamin Davis was a surprise first-round pick in 2021 because Ron Rivera thought he knew best (more on that later). Davis was initially expected to be a Mike linebacker. The Commanders knew in training camp that Davis was not a fit for the position. He would start at outside linebacker for three seasons, failing to distinguish himself among other players, and was released after new coach Dan Quinn unsuccessfully tried him out at edge rusher in 2024. Davis spent time with three teams last season.
Speaking of Rivera, he thought he outsmarted the rest of the league, trading down from No. 11, adding more picks and selecting Dotson. After a promising rookie season, Dotson looked like an average player in 2023. When new GM Adam Peters and Quinn took over in 2024, they saw enough in training camp to send him to a division rival. The Eagles declined his fifth-year option this week.
Do we sense a theme here? Most of Washington's worst picks each year were first-round picks. Forbes may be the worst, and that's saying something. With Christian Gonzalez on the board, Rivera chose Forbes, telling everyone who would listen about how Forbes was a turnover machine. Forbes had a lot of interceptions in college, but he was also extremely skinny and did not enjoy contact. The Commanders released him before the end of his second season. Ouch.
The 2024 class, led by Jayden Daniels, could be franchise-altering. Washington wants to see more from tight end Ben Sinnott and wide receiver Luke McCaffrey next season, but it is far too soon to call anyone a "worst pick" yet.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Worst Commanders' draft pick from every year since 2015
Continue reading...
Washington has only five picks in this week's draft due to trades for veterans Marshon Lattimore, Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil. The Commanders don't go on the clock until No. 29 overall. While it would be great for Washington to hit on each of its five picks, that's not always the case.
Dating back to 2015, let's look at Washington's worst pick in each class. Unfortunately, in recent years, the worst picks have come in the first round, making the Commanders' success last season even more remarkable.
Here is Washington's worst pick in each draft dating back to the 2015 NFL draft:
2015: RB Matt Jones (3rd round, 95th overall)
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Matt Jones spent three seasons with Washington, rushing for 964 yards and six touchdowns in three NFL seasons. Washington released him before his third season. He spent the 2017 season with the Indianapolis Colts and averaged 3.9 yards per carry in his NFL career. He was the weakest link to an otherwise solid draft class.
2016: WR Josh Doctson (1st round, 22nd overall)
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Josh Doctson spent three seasons with Washington, totaling 33 games played, 81 receptions, 1,100 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He was waived before his fourth season and played only one more NFL game—a huge miss by Scot McCloughan. Su'a Cravens, Washington's second-round pick, was worse than Doctson, but Doctson receives this honor because he was the first-round pick with higher expectations.
2017: LB Ryan Anderson (2nd round, 49th overall)
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This was the class that produced Jonathan Allen. However, Allen's former college teammate, Ryan Anderson, didn't quite experience the same success. Anderson played four seasons for Washington, appearing in 52 games with only four starts, and had just six sacks. Anderson spent time with the Steelers and Giants after Washington, but only ever appeared in five more games.
2018: RB Derrius Guice (2nd round, 59th overall)
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Injuries and mostly off-field issues cut Guice's NFL career short after just two seasons. He was cut before the 2020 season and never played again. He appeared in five career games, rushing for 245 yards and two touchdowns.
2019: QB Dwayne Haskins (1st round, 15th overall)
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With all due respect to the late Dwayne Haskins, this was a pick Washington should never have made. The only reason the Redskins picked Haskins was because former owner Dan Snyder's son was a high school classmate of Haskins in Maryland. Haskins was cut before his second NFL season ended. He appeared in 16 games and passed for 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. In fairness to Haskins, he was also drafted into a bad situation.
2020: DE Chase Young (1st round, 2nd overall)
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Things started well, with Young winning the NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year award. However, he was far from dominant, recording just 7.5 sacks. Still, it was a promising rookie season. Young started believing in his own hype, skipped offseason activities, and was injured midway through the 2021 season and has never been the same. Young will begin his second season with the New Orleans Saints in 2025 — his third NFL team.
2021: LB Jamin Davis (1st round, 19th overall)
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Jamin Davis was a surprise first-round pick in 2021 because Ron Rivera thought he knew best (more on that later). Davis was initially expected to be a Mike linebacker. The Commanders knew in training camp that Davis was not a fit for the position. He would start at outside linebacker for three seasons, failing to distinguish himself among other players, and was released after new coach Dan Quinn unsuccessfully tried him out at edge rusher in 2024. Davis spent time with three teams last season.
2022: WR Jahan Dotson (1st round, 16th overall)
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Speaking of Rivera, he thought he outsmarted the rest of the league, trading down from No. 11, adding more picks and selecting Dotson. After a promising rookie season, Dotson looked like an average player in 2023. When new GM Adam Peters and Quinn took over in 2024, they saw enough in training camp to send him to a division rival. The Eagles declined his fifth-year option this week.
2023: CB Emmanuel Forbes (1st round, 16th overall)
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Do we sense a theme here? Most of Washington's worst picks each year were first-round picks. Forbes may be the worst, and that's saying something. With Christian Gonzalez on the board, Rivera chose Forbes, telling everyone who would listen about how Forbes was a turnover machine. Forbes had a lot of interceptions in college, but he was also extremely skinny and did not enjoy contact. The Commanders released him before the end of his second season. Ouch.
2024: INCOMPLETE
The 2024 class, led by Jayden Daniels, could be franchise-altering. Washington wants to see more from tight end Ben Sinnott and wide receiver Luke McCaffrey next season, but it is far too soon to call anyone a "worst pick" yet.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Worst Commanders' draft pick from every year since 2015
Continue reading...
