Washington Commanders: Mistakes to avoid in the 2022 NFL Draft

Washington Commanders adding to the defensive line early

Let’s start with one that people complain about pretty often when it comes to the Commanders. Washington has an absolutely stacked defensive line. Stacked to the point that Matthew Ioannidis was maybe their best defensive lineman in 2020 and he was buried a bit in the depth chart in 2021.

It’s the kind of problem teams dream of. However, fans are a little tired of the team focusing on it when there are so many other problems on the team.

Washington currently has the aforementioned Ioannidis to go along with Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen, and Da’Ron Payne. Ioannidis is the only one in that group that isn’t a first-round pick. And they’ve all come within the last five drafts. Great job building up the unit. But at the same time, maybe you could’ve found someone else in that time that could’ve bolstered other areas of much more desperate need.

So far, you can forgive them. When they first started adding the players, it was definitely a position of need. And by the time the 2020 NFL Draft rolled around, they were pretty set when it came to the defensive line. However, Chase Young landed in their lap. That felt like something they couldn’t pass up on.

At this point though, it shouldn’t even be a thought until the fifth round. Unless someone insane fell to the third or something, just stay away. Nothing really needs to be done here.

Focus on positions that actually need the help. Bolster the offensive line with some depth. Find defensive backs that could be game-changers. Get some big-time offensive weapons (they definitely need some of those).

A lot of people will preach “take the best player available”. Most of the time, that’s a good strategy. However, it doesn’t always make sense. This would be one of those times. Steer clear of defensive linemen for the first few rounds.