The Washington Commanders made it clear heading into the 2023 NFL draft that they were looking for help on the offensive line and at cornerback. So it was no surprise that Washington picked defensive backs with its first two picks and offensive linemen with its following two choices.
Of course, many complained that the Commanders didn’t select an offensive lineman at No. 16. But with the top four options off the board, Washington did the smart thing by not reaching for someone in the next group of offensive linemen and turning its attention to a player it loved in cornerback Emmanuel Forbes.
Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports recently ranked every draft class from 1-32 and had the Commanders at No. 23.
Favorite pick: Emmanuel Forbes might weigh just 166 pounds. but we don’t care. At all. He’s the best ball-hawking corner in this class — he had six pick-sixes in his career — and he has better hands than some of the wideouts in this class.
Best value: K.J. Henry is an older prospect (he’ll be 24 and a half when the season starts), but he shows some burst off the edge and has an array of pass-rush moves. He will need to get stronger.
Most surprising pick: Jartavius “Quan” Martin. Not because the Commanders took him, but because we wouldn’t have been shocked if he had gone off the board even earlier (even though we had him going mid-second round, we thought we might be too conservative in our evaluation). We love the idea of Washington doubling down with Forbes and Martin with back-to-back picks, a smart development because a) it was a need, and b) the other NFC East QBs will likely be airing it out a lot in 2023.
What’s interesting is Wilson was complimentary of Washington’s draft — yet ranked it 23rd.
One could certainly make an argument that the Commanders should have been more aggressive in pursuing potential trades, something general manager Martin Mayhew even mentioned after the draft, but outside of one trade, they stayed put and selected the highest-ranked player on their board.
Washington’s 2023 draft class will ultimately be judged on the field, not in post-draft power rankings.
