What a difference a year makes for the Washington Commanders.
Last year, general manager Adam Peters made it clear he wants to build through the NFL draft. He selected nine players, two of which became every down players. Quarterback Jayden Daniels and cornerback Mike Sainristil, who started all 19 games. A majority of the other draft picks also contributed and will have to take that next step this year.
Daniels was selected with the second overall pick a year ago and led the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game while winning Offensive Rookie of the Year.
The Commanders have only five picks heading into the draft on Thursday night, and won’t have to use any of them on a quarterback for the first time in a very long time. They are also picking near the end of the first round, more unfamiliar territory.
They addressed some of its needs during free agency, but there are positions that still need to be focused on, which could mean trading back and acquiring more picks. Washington could also consider trading out of the first round if a team wants to acquire a player, specifically a quarterback, earlier.
Peters knows that anything is possible.
“You’re really open to everything,” he said Wednesday. “You’re open to moving up if the right move is up. If [DE] Abdul Carter falls to 27, I might want to try to move up two and get him, but if there’s a great player that we want to sit and pick, we’ll do that.
“But if there’s an opportunity to move back, then we’re certainly open to that too,” Peters said. “With five picks, that’s something you’d like to do is add picks, but you always have to have somebody who wants to come up too.”
The defensive side of the ball still has some glaring holes, including at edge rusher and cornerback. The Commanders lost defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., last year’s sack leader, via free agency. They also let go of defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, safety Jeremy Chinn and cornerback Benjamin St.-Juste.
The re-signing of linebacker Bobby Wagner was significant, as he proved to be a team leader on and off the field. Wagner and Frankie Luvu should be a dangerous combination as linebackers for Washington for the upcoming season.
Meanwhile, some of Washington’s biggest acquisitions this offseason have been on the offensive side of the ball. They traded for wide receiver Deebo Samuel and acquired offensive lineman Jeremy Tunsil from Houston. The Commanders also re-signed wide receiver Noah Brown.
“I think we put ourselves in a really good position to not force something,” Peters said.
With all its preseason signings and no significant needs that need to be addressed right away, there isn’t a position that Peters prefers not to draft in the first round.
“I think what we’ve done is we’ve given ourselves optionality to pick anywhere,” he said. “I don’t think we have a philosophy of going (to) ‘premium positions’ in any round. It’s really just trying to pick the best Commander for us that’s going to help us the most.”
With a year under his belt, Peters knows what to expect once Thursday night comes around.
“We’ve done everything once so that’s good understanding all of that,” Peters said. “I don’t think there’s a whole lot different to be honest with you. I don’t ever want to be comfortable or relaxed. I always want to have a little bit of an edge and make sure that, you know, we’re crossing every T dotting and every I making sure we’re leaving no stone unturned.”
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