NFL Draft: Commanders 'Gauging Interest' to Trade No. 16 Pick?

With the NFL Draft now days away teams like the Washington Commanders will be on the phone to see what deals are available to be made.

If we're being honest we're all excited about seeing new players added to the Washington Commanders roster in the NFL Draft that is now just days away. 

But the real fun is seeing if the Commanders pull off a draft trade, and then speculating about what that deal might have been sparked by. 

Last year, when Washington went on the clock for the first time it was widely thought they'd draft Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton or Ohio State receiver Chris Olave. 

Instead, the Commanders traded back with the New Orleans Saints to pick No. 16 and waited patiently to secure Penn State receiver Jahan Dotson. And they planned it all out in the days leading up to the first round. 

And a deal like that may go down again this Thursday night but could be put into place well in advance just like last year.

Something general manager Martin Mayhew says is a possibility he's developing a plan of action for as we get closer to the first night of picks.

"Where we are right now, I will probably project up several spots in case we want to move up, we understand the value," Mayhew said. "We don't want to give up a whole bunch of picks, so I know how far we can go up, but then I'll probably talk to everybody, from 16 to 31, and gauge their interest in coming up.”

We spend months trying to project where teams like the Commanders might aim their sights come draft weekend. 

And the truth of the matter is we never get it perfect, and more than anything mock drafts are an exercise in gauging how well a team might be able to address a specific need. 

Sometimes, as was the case last year, we learn our opinions about a position group aren't in line with the internal assessments going on in Washington's brain trust. 

While most had safety as a top priority the Commanders waited until the fourth round to add Percy Butler to their roster because of the confidence they had in Darrick Forrest coming into the season. 

When Forrest got on the field he proved them right, and now this year many are looking for the team to potentially add some depth to the position, but it isn't nearly as worrisome as it looked this time last year. 

This NFL Draft season we project Washington to need at least one cornerback to facilitate Benjamin St-Juste's move back inside or continue his starting role on the outside where he took great strides last year. 

But if the Commanders have belief in Danny Johnson to secure the slot the same way they did Forrest to be an impact safety, perhaps that will be the next position to see a mid-round selection spent despite so many having a Day 1 need attached to the group. 

That's just one example of why this coming week is so unpredictable, impactful, and downright exciting.

Find David Harrison on the Locked On Commanders podcast or text him directly at (202) 760-2188.

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