Montez Sweat Commanders Lone First-Round Pick in 2019 NFL Re-Draft

Through the lens of hindsight, Washington still gets Sweat, but saves future capital in the process

By now it's likely every fan of the Washington Commanders has heard the stories surrounding the selection of Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. 

But there was another first-round pick for Washington that season, and it was defensive end Montez Sweat who the team took with the 26th overall pick after making a trade with the Indianapolis Colts. 

In a Pro Football Focus re-draft of that year's class, however, the trade never happens but Sweat is still wearing burgundy and gold. 

"Washington’s top contributors from this draft were wide receiver Terry McLaurin and edge rusher Montez Sweat," writes PFF's Trevor Sikkema. "The best option for Washington at the time with hindsight would have been Sweat. That's a bit boring since he’s on the team in real life, but with back-to-back seasons above a 75.0 overall grade, Sweat is coming into his own and could just be getting started."

Sweat was one of several key players lost at critical times during the 2021 NFL Season, although his absences were due to familial responsibilities, not injury. 

The result is a fresher Sweat entering this time of year, and one who is looking forward to getting fully back on the field and re-focused on football. 

Washington's defense will once again turn to him and fellow line bookend Chase Young - when he returns from his ACL injury - along with interior defensive linemen Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and Phidarian Mathis to anchor a unit once again looking to become one of the best in the league. 

Speaking of best in the league, receiver Terry McLaurin has proven himself to be arguably the best pass-catcher from his class, and because of this he lands with the New York Giants at pick No. 6. 

"At the time, the Giants still had Eli Manning on the roster, but the then-38-year-old was in the last year of his contract and had led the team to a 5-11 record the season before. New York needed a quarterback, but re-drafting one here wouldn’t be fun," Sikkema writes while having the Giants re-draft McLaurin over quarterback Daniel Jones. "Instead, I’ll anger the entire Washington fanbase by giving the Giants a player who should have gone top 10 in this class."

Of course, Sikkema also goes on to say this could be McLaurin's best year yet, and the good news for Washington Commanders fans is the fact he'll do it with their team, regardless of what hindsight tells us should have happened.