Which Draft Pick has the Greatest Impact in 2023?

[Boone]

Which draft addition to the Washington Commanders has the greatest on-the-field impact in 2023?

 

[Primus Porcus]

I picked Quan Martin because i "think" it'll be the biggest impact. I think the defense is focused on a 4 - 2 - 5 setup and he's going to find himself on the field A LOT playing read and react down hill football.

My 'hope' is its Ricky Stromberg. I really hope he can come in and take over the starting OC job by week 1. It would be HUGE for this team to have that position locked down for the duration of a rookie deal.

 

[Boone]

Pretty much how I see it too ST. Could end up being Forbes but I just have no idea how his skillset will translate at the next level. There are no (for me anyway) 'Wow!' picks in this draft. So seeing someone breaking out and being a true impact rookie is difficult.

 

[Bulldog]

Agreed, no 'wow' picks.

The team better hope it is Stromberg because Roullier is beaten and battered and Nick Gates is coming off an injury that was thought to be career ending.

Not exactly a position with an 'anchor' at present.

 

[Knightingale]

I went with Stromberg (just to be different! )

If the Defense holds strong from last year, I think that Forbes can make a difference... but I'm not sure just how BIG a difference. Weren't we already ranked 3rd? Not much room to go up from there.

The writing was always on the wall for Roullier once we got Gates and then Stromberg. I feel like (more like I HOPE) that even if the O-line sees a return to average levels that with Howelll lifting our QB play, and with EB now the new OC... I feel like that might be the area where we see the biggest jump in performance... even if it is just to average levels.
As a part of that, I do think that Stromberg will graduate to the position of starting Center.

I have this HORRIBLE pessimistic feeling that we're going to be halfway through the season and we're going to be enjoying an offense playing better than we've seen in a while with a rookie QB that possibly could shore up the position for a while...while bemoaning a Defense that has dropped down the rankings, a Chase Young who's a shadow of his former self, and a new playmaking CB who's not making plays.

Here's hoping I'm wrong.

 

[burgold]

Forbes is the player we picked that could be a “wow” player they didn’t draft him to play corner. They drafted him to get turnovers. So many of our players seem to have poor ball awareness and just don’t make plays. Rivera and company want Forbes to wow us, flip the field, and score points.

But that’s not my answer to the question. It isn’t Quan either because I think we’re strong at safety and I’m not he replaces Fuller, St. Juste, Forbes, Kurl, or Forest.

So, I’m going to hope it’s Stromberg though if it’s Forbes and he shows up, proves sturdy, and snags seven interceptions I won’t complain.

 

[Bulldog]

Since Rouillier was just released and Gates is not 100% yet, I HOPE it is Stromberg

Forbes was listed at 166 but at 6'0 1/2 he should be able to put on enough weight to play fast at 180 pounds and that's a workable weight for an outside player in the NFL with a long arm span.

Forbes should get on the field early. Kendall Fuller to me was less effective last year than in previous seasons and I don't know at 29/30 whether he is in his last year in DC or if Forbes flashes starter ability, he could be a camp or preseason cut (?).

 

[Boone]

I firmly believe that if a 1st round pick isn't ready to start his rookie season, you blew the pick. The problem I had with the Jamin Davis selection was that he wasn't ready, because he lacked the previous experience to be ready - which is why he should never have been taken where he was. Players with 'high ceilings' should be described with another more accurate word - 'unproven'. So I 100% expect Forbes to start day 1 of his rookie season. That's what 1st round selections should do if you made the right pick.

 

[Bulldog]

Well, Bill Parcells (and from him Bill Belichick) always believed that you don't take a guy high in the draft who has only had one very productive season in college. These players have a tendency to flame out at a high percentage (anyone remember Devin Thomas?).

These successful coaches looked for guys that had proven it over the course of at least 2 and preferably 3 years as a starter.

Davis only started one full season at Kentucky at LB, a school whose football program is not necessarily the strongest in a region with a number of powerhouse college programs.

To me he was a second round draft pick in terms of value and like I have said before Ron and Co. usually end up OVER-DRAFTING players even if they turn out to make the team and become contributors down the road.

Where he was drafted Forbes should be a Day 1 starter and especially so given that neither Kendall Fuller or Benjamin St. Juste were named to the pro bowl team in 2022.

But again, Forbes was taken early. To most NFL GM's he has some size and potential durability issues coming to the league and that put him behind Gonzalez and some put him behind Banks as well.

The smart move here if they liked Forbes was to recognize that their grade was perhaps higher than others and trade down to the early to mid-20's, pick up an additional pick in Round 2 or 3 and take Forbes there.

Looking at the draft I see no reason that with some deft movement up and down the draft board we could have come away with Kincaid at TE, Schmitz at C and taken a corner like Ringo in Round 3 or 4, whom Roseman was smart to take as a value pick.

Instead, we took two corners in Forbes and Martin that may help us but were not the consensus best available at those spots in the draft.

 

[Chris]

You can’t manifest a trade back in the first round if no other team wants to trade up.

 

[burgold]

You can’t manifest a trade back in the first round if no other team wants to trade up.

Hard to say no one would have traded up up ⬆️ n a draft that was so trade crazy.

 

[Boone]

I can see both sides of the argument. I don't think they were very aggressive in this draft. Being successful at least in part requires being aggressive. I don't think 'there weren't any trade partners' necessarily tells the whole story. But yes - there were factors outside of their control. All in all, not an awe-inspiring effort although the possibility they make fools out of all us critics is always there. Let it be so

 

[Chris]

When this group gets aggressive they overpay for Carson Wentz. More porridge, Sir?

Or they get aggressive, trade back for Jahan Dotson and picks, but still get ridden hard by the fans for selecting…well…Jahan Dotson.

 

[Bulldog]

You can't convince me in a year where there were a record number of transactions that Washington could not have moved up or down the board to create additional value for the franchise.

The argument 'you need trade partners' is one that is usually made by front offices and coaches that had no intention of stepping out of the safety lane in the first place, to defend their position.


In the case of this years draft Washington could have selected the #1 tight end and #1 center with consecutive picks in Rounds 1 and 2 WITHOUT moving up at all.

My assumption with the number of trades that were made is that with some guile and a bit of strategy we could have picked these players AND picked up some additional selections while moving down in Round 1.

But again, even if that move was not possible at the time these other top rated players were still available for us to take at our designated spots.

 

[Chris]

This is the the same group that traded back successfully last year and openly stated pre-draft (Mayhew) that they were not at all disinterested in trading back if a good opportunity presented itself this year. Is drafting Forbes a ‘safety lane’ pick. I doubt most would categorize it that way. I believe drafting him at #16 was the polar opposite of that and that they were actually aggressive with the pick and had the courage of their convictions. I cautiously give them credit for having the balls to do so.

Would I have preferred that one of the top tackles had dropped? 100%, but they didn’t.

They have also said repeatedly that they like their current TE group so the fact that a highly rated TE was available means what exactly? That they should abandon their plan and add a luxury pick?

 

[Boone]

I don’t feel as strongly on this topic as you so won’t argue. I will say that Mayhew himself said post-draft that he wished they’d been more aggressive in a few rounds (including their rumored attempt to move up to the top of round 2). I agree with him - they could have been more aggressive. But Forbes and some of these other players may prove to be great so nothing to do but wait and see.

 

[Chris]

Not arguing at all. Just presenting an alternate view. 😉

Prior to the start of the Heat-Knicks playoff series 19 of 20 professional NBA reporters picked the Knicks to win the series, in a consensus of 6 games total. The Heat now lead the series 3-1. Even the best of us don’t know what we don’t know, myself included, no matter how much we disagree.

 

[Bulldog]

Who thought the Lakers were going to be on the brink of the Western Conference finals two weeks before the playoffs began?

It didn't even look at one point LA would make the playoffs at all.