The general consensus "out there" at the moment seems to be that Washington is very likely to take a QB at #2 come April. Personally, I think that's about a 50-50 thing. Not because we don't desperately need a franchise QB (hello, last 30 years), but because there are a
whole lot of factors in play. Just off the top of my head ...
- the QB's available in 2024
- that it's the number TWO pick, not number one
- new GM, new head coach, new system, etc.
- the drift, you get
I've said this a few times already, but again ... I am almost certain we will draft a QB, but I'm not completely sold we'll be doing it at #2. I think we're equally likely to trade down and either grab one later in the 1st, or in the 2nd if there's a guy who falls we happen to have rated high enough. Why? Because the number 2 overall ain't the number 1. Historically, it just isn't.
QB’s taken with the
#2 overall pick in the Super Bowl era:
2023, C.J. Stroud
2021, Zach Wilson
2017,
Mitchell Trubisky
2016,
Carson Wentz
2015,
Marcus Mariota
2012, Robert Griffin III
1999, Donovan McNabb
1998, Ryan Leaf
1993, Rick Mirer
1973, Bert Jones
1971, Archie Manning
And because we now have to ...
QB's taken with the
#1 overall pick in the Super Bowl era:
2023, Bryce Young
2021, Trevor Lawrence
2020, Joe Burrow
2019, Kyler Murray
2018, Baker Mayfield
2016, Jared Goff
2015, Jameis Winston
2012, Andrew Luck
2011, Cam Newton
2010, Sam Bradford
2009, Matthew Stafford
2007, Jamarcus Russell
2005, Alex Smith
2004, Eli Manning
2003, Carson Palmer
2002, David Carr
2001, Michael Vick
1999, Peyton Manning
1993, Drew Bledsoe
1990, Jeff George
1989, Troy Aikman
1987, Vinny Testaverde
1983, John Elway
1975, Steve Bartkowski
1971, Jim Plunkett
1970, Terry Bradshaw
The difference in "hit rate"--as subjective as that is--between the two seems pretty stark to me.
Reason I did this is I had never seen the actual list of the #2's, so I wanted to do that for myself. Once I did, I figured you guys might have a thing or two to say about it as well.
All of which is to say, for me:
1) if we do take a QB at #2, I'm going to be intrigued and excited and hopeful, to be sure, but I'm also going to be a bit ... trepidatious.
2) I'm more and more comfortable with the notion, and kinda feeling like, we're going to trade down from #2 and try to hit on a QB a bit further downstream.
3) sitting here today, I'm thinking I may not
totally blow a gasket if we do what I know is unthinkable to many and trade up to grab Williams. Oh, I know, he's got warts. The price will be prohibitive. It's a titanic gamble. But I also am coming to believe, based on all I hear and read, that he's almost certainly the consensus number one QB in this draft.
93 days until the NFL Draft.