Washington’s NFL franchise may have a new name, but the Commanders need to forge a new identity during the 2022 NFL Draft.
Ron Rivera led Washington to seven wins last season but it never really felt like his team had a real chance of making noise in the postseason. That’s why the newly-named Commanders need to take some big swings to upgrade their roster talent in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Washington is one of several teams that need to chart a new, long-term direction at the game’s most important position. This isn’t a great year to need to draft a quarterback in Round 1, but the No. 11 overall pick gives the franchise to roll the dice on a new signal-caller if they grade a prospect highly enough.
Quarterback isn’t the team’s only need, but it is the most important one. That’s why Washington will grab the quarterback with the highest upside in Round 1.
Round 1: Malik Willis
Willis isn’t ready to play meaningful snaps right away, but Washington can afford to let Taylor Heinecke keep the quarterback seat warm until the talented rookie is ready to go under center.
Willis has the arm talent to make all the throws in Washington’s playbook. He needs to work hard on improving his accuracy if he wants to succeed at the pro level though. His college tape shows too many erratic throws on what should have been easy completions.
Despite the flaws, Willis has a chance to enjoy a Josh Allen-type rise if things fall right for him in the NFL. That’s too tempting for Washington to pass up on with the No. 11 overall pick.