Commander Country

Commanders Trade No. 11 Pick to Saints, Who Select Ohio State's Chris Olave

The Washington Commanders are the first to truly shake things up in the draft.

Jeremy Brener

The Washington Commanders are moving back in the NFL Draft, trading the No. 11 pick to the New Orleans Saints for the No. 16 pick, a third-rounder and a fourth-rounder.

Terry McLaurin
Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Terry McLaurin

J.D. McKissic and Terry McLaurin
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Terry McLaurin (left) and J.D. McKissic (right)

© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Terry McLaurin

The Commanders previously only had six picks in the draft, and with the move add an additional two picks.

FOLLOW EVERY COMMANDERS PICK AND ALL NFL DRAFT SELECTIONS VIA OUR EXCLUSIVE REAL-TIME TRACKER!

The move comes after the New York Jets selected Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson with the No. 10 pick. Wilson was expected to be a target for the Commanders at No. 11.

Another player with potential for the Commanders was Chris Olave, Wilson's teammate at Ohio State.

The team also had the potential to take a player like Notre Dame's Kyle Hamilton, but general manager Martin Mayhew and the front office opted for more picks.

There is potential for the Commanders to pick up Hamilton when the team returns to the clock at No. 16, but there's no guarantee.

Chris Olave
Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

Chris Olave

Curtis Samuel
Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Curtis Samuel

Curtis Samuel
Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Curtis Samuel

This is the first time Washington has made a trade in the first round of the draft since 2019 when the team traded for defensive end Montez Sweat. Earlier this week, Sweat's fifth-year option was exercised, keeping him with the team for at least two more seasons under contract.

With the trade, Washington gave itself more options and flexibility later in the draft and chose that route instead of instant gratification with a player they like. Let's hope they'll be able to pick a player they want at No. 16.

Published
Jeremy Brener
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.

Home/News