Commanders Draft Rumors: Should Washington Trade With QB Needy Patriots?

Would it make sense for the Commanders to trade back one spot in the NFL Draft with the Patriots, considering both teams' quarterback needs?

The Washington Commanders are in the middle of a rebuild, which places a major question at the forefront of the new regime's desk: would trading back speed up the team's rebuild?

Currently, the Commanders hold the No. 2 overall pick in a class that is widely considered to have three top-tier NFL Draft Prospects at quarterback and a lot of teams in need at that position that could be willing to trade up, so let's consider what simply trading back one spot with the New England Patriots could do for the franchise.

What team would the Washington Commanders be most likely to trade back with? / USA Today Sports

USC quarterback Caleb Williams is widely considered to be the top prospect in this draft class and a surefire lock for the No. 1 overall pick, but at No. 2, both reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of LSU and Drake Maye of UNC would be available.

If Washington were to trade back, the Patriots would be the most important team in this whole equation. Supply and demand make the No. 2 overall pick much more expensive when everyone knows that the top three quarterbacks will be gone by the fourth pick, but even more than that; the supply is very different.

Maye and Daniels have entirely different playstyles, with Maye more known for his pocket passing and Daniels known for his elite athleticism; if a team loves one of them, it's unlikely to want to settle for the other because it would completely alter the way a coordinator would have to scheme its offense. 

In a perfect world, the Commanders execute a smoke screen and bait New England into trading up with them to guarantee the franchise lands its desired prospect. A trade like that would only require Washington to move back one spot, and luckily, this exact scenario happened back in 2017.

The San Francisco 49ers moved back one spot in 2017 so that the Chicago Bears could take quarterback Mitch Trubiski, and it cost them two third-round picks and a fourth-rounder in addition to the No. 3 pick. 

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Two picks were used to select the top linebacker prospect in the class and the second-best defensive lineman prospect at the time. As for the fourth-rounder that year, the pick turned into New Orleans Saints All-Pro running back Alvin Kamara, and the fourth-rounder the next year became All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner. 

If that glimpse at history doesn't prove how valuable trading back can be for landing franchise-changing talent, then what does? Also worth noting is that the new general manager for the Commanders, Adam Peters, worked in San Francisco's front office back in 2017 and has been the assistant general manager since 2021, so he's familiar with what trading back can yield in returns, and Washington fans shouldn't rule out a move like this.