The Washington Commanders had several positions of need to address heading into the NFL Draft, and by most accounts, they largely achieved their goal of adding depth at many of those spots.
Cornerback and safety were not among them, though, and it's raised some questions among the fan base.
There are currently 15 defensive backs on the Commanders' roster, and based on that number as well as how the group performed last year, there were expectations for them to add more young talent in the draft. There are several reasons why the Commanders chose not to take that path, but the two biggest factors were that they like the players they already have, and the ones they did take in the draft ended up bringing more overall value to the team.
"When we were picking a player in those rooms, it just didn't make the most sense as the best decision at that point," assistant general manager Lance Newmark said at the end of Day 3.
That should not be taken to mean the Commanders are completely satisfied with what they have at either spot. They added Amik Robertson and Ahkello Witherspoon to the cornerback room and Nick Cross to the safeties -- all three of which are expected to be heavy contributors during the season. However, the players behind them and the rest of the starters are a mix of career backups and special teamers. The combination of Tre Hawkins III, Darius Rush, Car'lin Vigers, Qwuantrezz Knight and Robert McDaniel has a combined five starts in their careers.
Of course, the Commanders' options to address those positions were limited. There was a chance they could have taken either LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane or Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, both of whom were considered the best at their respective positions. The Tennessee Titans made a surprise move and took wide receiver Carnell Tate at No. 4 overall, which pushed all of the top defensive players down the board.
Delane was already off the board when the Commanders were on the clock, thanks to the Kansas City Chiefs trading up from No. 9 to No. 6 to get him. That left Downs still available, but so was linebacker Sonny Styles. The Commanders chose the latter, not because they disliked Downs, but because they felt like Styles was the better choice to help raise the defense's ceiling. Plus, it would provide the unit with one of the class' most athletic playmakers -- a key overall need for the team.
"Sonny's a guy who can play off the ball," general manager Adam Peters said at the end of Round 1. "He can play on the ball. He can mug up and blitz. There's so many different things he can do."
The Commanders didn't pick again until late on Day 2 at No. 71 overall, and the second round was dominated by defensive players. Only 10 offensive players were selected from picks 33-64. Eight of the defensive players taken were either a cornerback or safety, with players like Colton Hood and Avieon Terrell going early.
There were still interesting players available to the Commanders like Julian Neal, Jalen Huskey and Tacario Davis, who went off the board to the Cincinnati Bengals immediately after the Commanders made their pick. Washington also had a need at wide receiver, and Peters said it was an important goal for the team to pick up a weapon for Jayden Daniels at some point in the draft.
Therefore, it made the most sense to them to take a wideout -- Clemson's Antonio Williams -- at No. 71. Yes, it was a need, but his route running and overall polish as a receiver made him the best player available on their board.
"He's not huge, but he is not small," Peters said. "He's just a hair under six feet and he's a really tough player and he's got really good releases. He plays really fast. So those things allow him to win on the outside versus bigger corners."
The Commanders also had long waits on Day 3. They didn't have a fourth-round pick, so they had to wait until No. 147 overall to make another selection. Their final four picks included pass-rusher Joshua Josephs, running back Kaytron Allen, center Matt Gulbin and quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. It's hard to argue with the logic; three of those were positions of need, and Kaliakmanis is a long-term project that could turn into a backup later in his career.
One of the biggest factors with each of those picks is that the front office liked their chances at making the roster and making an impact.
"I think [with] every pick, you kind of approach it the same, whether it's the first round or the seventh round, to be honest with you," Newmark said. "You just always look at...what's his path to making our team? What's his path to impacting our team? What are our options? What are we turning down to take this player?"
And while Robertson, Witherspoon and Cross are not the only additions the Commanders will make in the secondary, they do provide the team with some flexibility. They no longer had to reach for a cornerback or safety who might not be the right fit or might not make the roster in the summer.
"It just was a situation where we were picking and what was available, those rooms just didn't make sense at that time," Newmark said.
Even though the draft is over, there are still chances for the Commanders to sign defensive backs. They'll have their list of undrafted free agents finalized before rookie minicamp next week, which reportedly does include at least two cornerbacks. There are also some veterans still available, and others could hit the open market as part of post-June 1 cuts. So, they aren't done tweaking the roster, even though one of the biggest opportunities to add young talent has passed them.
"I think we're always wanting to have competition and always wanting to do everything we can to make our football team as good as it can be, but at those picks, those rooms just didn't click," Newmark said.
