Commanders GM Martin Mayhew Reveals Team's Focus Going Into Draft

The Washington Commanders are going into the draft with a vague but effective plan.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 25, 2023

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Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders may not have a specific plan for players and positions to add in this week's NFL Draft.

With 32 teams and 259 players being selected over the weekend, it's mathematically impossible to go in with a set plan of seven guys and come out of the draft with each of those on the roster.

That means teams have to build vague goals going into the weekend and work from there on specific choices, but Commanders general manager Martin Mayhew has a vision going into the draft.

"You have to have a deep team and a balanced team across the board," Mayhew said. "That is what our focus is. What coach [Ron Rivera] said, I thought in free agency that we added some guys, some starters from other teams. Two offensive line starters from very good teams, playoff teams. We added a linebacker, quality player there. Added Jacoby [Brissett]. We did some things in free agency that we feel are very beneficial going into our draft. I feel like we have the ability to go anywhere in this draft.”

The team didn't make major additions in free agency, but added a comparable player at every place the team subtracted. This means that the Commanders don't have a glaring need going into the draft that they need to address. Instead, it means that Washington can go into Thursday eyeing talent alone and it can allow the rest to sort itself out later.

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Published Apr 25, 2023

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.