SB Nation 2022 Mock Draft Extravaganza – The Commanders are nearly on the clock! Day 2

It’s almost time for the real thing! Until then, we get the next best thing.

Each year, just before the actual draft, enterprising individuals from various SBNation blogs take it upon themselves to organize a site-wide full mock draft, with (ideally) writers/posters from each of the team blogs picking on behalf of their team. This year, I will be picking on behalf of the Washington Commanders and tracking progress here. The draft will take place on Discord.

Think of this draft as a series of thought exercises, not simply a rote duplication of what we can expect come late April in Las Vegas. It’s not going to be to everyone’s taste.

Schedule

4/8 – 8 PM EDT / 5 PM PDT (Round 1)

4/9 – 1pm EDT / 10 AM PDT (Rounds 2-3)

4/10 – 1pm EDT / 10 AM PDT (Rounds 4-7)

This page should be updated in fairly close to real time once the Day 2 begins on 4/9.

Pre-Draft Trade: Washington sends WR Terry McLaurin to the 49ers for picks 25, 83, and LB Dre Greenlaw. Rationale: I love Terry McLaurin. We all do, but the wide receiver market is heavily overbought at this point, and paying Terry (or any WR) $23-24M per year would begin to constrain team building in important ways beginning in 2023. Selling high on Terry now, before the draft puts the team in a good position to re-stock.

First Round Trade: Washington sends CB Kendall Fuller to the Seahawks for pick #40, freeing up $8M in cap space in 2022 and $8.5M in 2023. As legendary baseball GM, Branch Rickey said, “Trade a player a year too early rather than a year too late.”

Round 1, Pick 11

Garrett Wilson (WR) – Ohio State – With Terry McLaurin traded away, wide receiver became an existential need. Surely some will object that this is a violation of the First Draft Commandment, and in the strictest sense, they would be correct. However, as the First Commandment pertains to wide receivers, the injunction not to draft them in the first derives not from the fact that first round WRs aren’t good, it’s rooted in the fact that very good ones can be found in the second round as well. The McLaurin trade necessitated, and allowed, this move. Wilson would not have been the choice without the McLaurin trade, my second pick, Matt Corral, would have.

Interestingly, mock drafters took 8 WRs in the first round, a clear indication to me that the out of control veteran WR market is driving up the draft value of WRs on rookie deals. The selection of Wilson here essentially represents a conversion of massive salary cap capital into a significant draft investment. We’ll see if it pays off.

Round 1, Pick 25 (from San Francisco)

Matt Corral (QB) – Ole Miss – I have been, and remain, insistent, that Washington must leave this draft with a Plan B option at QB. Corral is the best of the bunch, but even so, taking him at #11 would have felt like a bit of a reach. Nevertheless, I was prepared to do it. The McLaurin trade opened up a world of options, allowing #11 to be used on a true BPA, and allowing #25 to be used on a quarterback who is athletically talented, but could absolutely use a year of seasoning behind a veteran. Two draft priorities down, Day 2 leaves open a tremendous set of options.

Round 2, Pick 40 (from Seattle)

Round 2, Pick 47

Round 3, Pick 83 (from San Francisco)

Round 4, Pick 113

Round 6, Pick 189

Round 7, Pick 230

Round 7, Pick 239

I look forward to your thoughts in the comments below:

Draft Progression:

1. Jets – KAYVON THIBODEAUX, EDGE, OREGON
2. Lions – EVAN NEAL, RT, ALABAMA
3. Texans – AIDAN HUTCHINSON, DE, MICHIGAN
4. Jets – AHMAD “Sauce” GARDNER, CB, CINCINNATI
5. Giants – CHARLES CROSS, OT, MISSISSIPPI STATE
6. Panthers – IKEM EKWONU, OT, NC STATE
7. Giants – KYLE HAMILTON, S, NOTRE DAME
8. Lions – MALIK WILLIS, QB, LIBERTY
9. Seahawks – JERMAINE JOHNSON DE, FLORIDA STATE
10. Jaguars – TREYLON BURKS, WR, ARKANSAS
11. Commanders – GARRETT WILSON, WR, OHIO STATE
12. Eagles – DRAKE LONDON, WR, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
13. Packers – ANDREW BOOTH JR, CB, CLEMSON
14. Ravens – DEREK STINGLEY JR – CB, LSU
15. Eagles – DEVIN LLOYD, LB, UTAH
16. Eagles – TYLER LINDERBAUM, OL, IOWA
17. Chargers – JAMESON WILLIAMS, WR ALABAMA
18. Vikings – TRAVON WALKER OLB/DE GEORGIA
19. Eagles – NAKOBE DEAN, LB, GEORGIA
20. Steelers – TREVOR PENNING, OT, NORTHERN IOWA
21. Patriots – ZION JOHNSON, OT/OG, BOSTON COLLEGE
22. Texans – JORDAN DAVIS, DT, GEORGIA
23. Lions – TYLER SMITH, G, TULSA
24. Cowboys – GEORGE KARLAFTIS, EDGE, PURDUE.
25. Commanders – MATT CORRAL, QB, OLE MISS
26. Jets – CHRIS OLAVE, WR, OHIO STATE
27. Bucs – DEVONTE WYATT, DT, GEORGIA
28. Packers – JAHAN DOTSON, WR, PENN STATE
29. Chiefs – CHRISTIAN WATSON, WR, NDSU
30. Chiefs – TRENT MCDUFFIE, CB, WASHINGTON
31. Bengals – KAIIR ELAM, CB, FLORIDA
32. Falcons – GEORGE PICKENS, WR, GEORGIA