NFL Draft: 4 Best Options For Commanders At No. 11

It all comes down to Thursday night. Who will the Commanders take at No. 8?

The wait is almost over!

Months of speculation as to who the Washington Commanders will draft will come to an end Thursday night when the team makes the 11th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Commanders have been connected to a number of prospects at No. 11 on both sides of the ball, more specifically at wide receiver and defensive back.

Which need will general manager Martin Mayhew fill first?

Here's a look at the four likeliest options for the No. 11 overall pick:

drake london 4

Drake London

Garrett Wilson
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Garrett Wilson

Kyle Hamilton 4
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

Kyle Hamilton

WR Drake London

Standing 6-4, London provides one of the largest frames of any wide receiver in the draft class. Often perceived as the best wideout in the class, London would immediately start opposite Terry McLaurin.

The Commanders want to give McLaurin a running mate to take some attention off of him and weaponize Carson Wentz as much as possible in an unfamiliar offense for him.

The teams most likely to steal London from the Commanders would be the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons. The Jets have two opportunities to draft London, first at No. 4 and then right before the Commanders at No. 10. New York wants to give Zach Wilson a weapon to work with. Meanwhile, Atlanta needs a wide receiver just as much as any team in the league. If London is at the top of their board, they could snag him with the 8th overall pick.

WR Garrett Wilson

Ron Rivera spoke very highly of the Ohio State wide receivers in a press conference this week, and with two on the board, there's a very good chance a Buckeye becomes a Commander Thursday night.

Wilson is perceived to be better than his teammate Chris Olave, who shouldn't be on the board much longer after him.

Wilson was almost a lock for the top 10, but rumors of poor performances in interviews could push him right into Washington's lap at No. 11.

As mentioned above, the Jets and Falcons are the teams likeliest to take Wilson, but if he finds a way to slide, he'll definitely be part of the conversation.

Chris Olave
Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

Chris Olave

Kyle Hamilton 2
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Kyle Hamilton

Garrett Wilson

Chris Olave

WR Chris Olave

The Commanders really like Olave's potential, and the 11th pick is probably the highest the Ohio State product could be drafted. But that shouldn't be a reason to not take him.

Olave is a former teammate of Terry McLaurin's, so the built-in chemistry is a big reason why the Commanders could draft him.

He's more of a natural complement to McLaurin than Wilson is, but that also shouldn't be a reason to take one over the other.

The Commanders will strongly consider Olave if both London and Wilson are off the board. He could also be a candidate if the team wants to trade back with a team like the New Orleans Saints (Nos. 16, 19) or Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 20).

S Kyle Hamilton

Once considered a lock for the top 5, Hamilton's fall could extremely benefit the Commanders.

Although he doesn't fill the biggest need on the team, he's an automatic plug-and-play for the vacancy Landon Collins created after his release.

Hamilton plays that safety-linebacker hybrid that Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio love and he's about as good as you can get in a weak safety class.

The Commanders have drafted at least one defensive player in the first round since 2017, so the streak would stay live by picking Hamilton.


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.