Washington Rookie QB Is On The Way (In 2022 NFL Draft)
Those who have issues of the Washington Football Team's draft class are likely the same people who believe they can come off the street and run a franchise.
The truth is, people look for holes left and right, and Washington has just one.
Quarterback.
Despite needing a long-term option under center, WFT head coach Ron Rivera waited for the value to fall. It never did, leading to the franchise adding pieces elsewhere.
"It was a big conversation we had. We were talking about the quarterback position, talking about the young men that we really liked a lot, but we also talked about the opportunity to solidify some other things," Rivera told NFL Network's Good Morning Football crew Monday. "If we dealt too much draft capital, we'd lose that opportunity.
"We really felt strongly about just holding and just trying to fill the rest of needs."
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Instead of moving up, WFT added athletic playmakers to help contend after a 7-9 NFC East-winning season. Jamin Davis should add tremendous value at one of the three linebacker roles. Sam Cosmi might soon be the answer at left tackle. Both Benjamin St.-Juste and Dyami Brown should be role players by the season's end.
None of that matters if the quarterback struggles. The good news is that Ryan Fitzpatrick has a multitude of weapons to work with in D.C.; there is no particular reason for him to struggle this year.
The even better news? The 2022 NFL Draft class should have the answer under center well past the No. 1 pick.
Comparing quarterbacks from 2021 to next season is similar to comparing NFL players to high schoolers looking to pick their alma mater — unfair and pointless. Teams won't be fully scouting the next crop of gunslingers until midseason, but to say the next core is "less talented" might be the understatement of the century.
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Unknown? A much more complete narrative.
WFT can begin its search with a progress report of the next group of passers starting this offseason. Every player hoping to make it to the next level will have a report card entering 2021. These are areas where they thrive, but also ones where they struggle.
The hope is by the time the final tape is in hand, the negatives are down and the positives up.
Washington's homework can begin with the names already cemented to be high-end starters. North Carolina's Sam Howell might be the most NFL-ready after two seasons in Chapel Hill. Oklahoma's Spencer Rattler is considered to be the perfect combination of what the NFL could be transitioning toward.
Both Howell and Rattler have found themselves as the No. 1 pick on multiple way-too-early mocks.
Others names will be out to show they're not just one-year wonders. Cincinnati's Desmond Ritter led the Bearcats to a undefeated regular season and nearly took down Georgia. Is he for real? The same could go for Liberty's Malik Willis, whose dual-threat ability carried the Flames to a one-loss season.
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Of course, there's always a name that comes out of nowhere into the top-five chatter. BYU's Zach Wilson had a late-round grade before 2020. The same happened with LSU's Joe Burrow and Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield. As for Kyler Murray? He was baseball bound right?
If the end of 2020 was an inclination to the start of 2021 Georgia's JT Daniels might be the next riser. He only played in four games, but the level of accuracy and execution under offense has the Bulldogs looking like the favorites to win the SEC.
If a transfer talent is next to sign, Texas Tech's Tyler Shough might find his way into the chat. The former Oregon star never found his footing in Eugene, but is going to a similar system under Matt Wells in Lubbock.
The last QB who transitioned from the Red Raiders to the NFL? Patrick Mahomes.
Washington has a high-end roster and pieces in place to for the future. If Davis hits, they're a top-five defense. Should WFT add true free safety, they're top-three.
All that's missing is a long-term franchise starter.
At best, Fitzpatrick does enough to land WFT back in the postseason and sticks around to train a rookie. Worst-case? It seems unlikely, but WFT would have all the pieces to win in 2022 and the chance at picking top-five with their cream of the crop option under center.
Washington could have risked moving up to grab a gunslinger in the early teens. Instead, they added talent that will upgrade positions that struggled in 2020. There isn't a losing situation for WFT no matter how one looks at it based off draft purposes.
While the franchise face isn't on the roster in 2021, that doesn't mean the future star isn't waiting to hear their name called when on the clock next April.
The options? They're a lot better than one would think.
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