Washington Commanders Begin 'Franchise-Altering' Draft With QB They 'Should Pick'

The Washington Commanders have been heavily linked with LSU's Jayden Daniels, but in CBS Sports' latest mock draft, it's North Carolina's Drake Maye who gets the call.

Nov 25, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye (10) / Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

The million-dollar question in the lead-up to the NFL Draft is who the Washington Commanders will be selecting at No. 2. Everyone has their thoughts and LSU's Jayden Daniels is still at the top of most people's wish list.

Michigan's J.J. McCarthy and North Carolina's Drake Maye have also seen their names linked with a move to the NFC East.

After such a positive free agency period where the franchise plugged several roster holes, now comes the part of the offseason where things really ramp up.

With Washington holding such a coveted pick, there is no way to determine which player the franchise takes, but in CBS Sports' latest mock, Maye sees his name called.

"It's a new regime in Washington," CBS Sports writes. "General manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn look to kick off their franchise-altering draft class that includes six of the first 102 picks with their face-of-the-franchise QB. Maye was the only FBS player with 7,000-plus passing yards and 1,000-plus rushing yards in the past two seasons. Maye also said at his combine presser that it didn't seem like the Bears were very familiar with who he was. Maye will be here at number two, and given his age and eye-popping throws on tape, he should be the pick."

In truth, at this stage of the offseason, there is no "wrong pick," as each of the top quarterback prospects all have the same chance at succeeding.

Nov 25, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye (10) / Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

For Maye, he could fit into Kliff Kingsbury's offensive scheme like a duck to water. Kingsbury likes to air out the football - Maye has all the arm talent in the world. If Kingsbury wants to use play action with Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler or run RPOs with Maye, both could work just as effectively due to his ability to pick up yards with his legs.

The Commanders faced a defining offseason and were armed with the cap space and draft talent to make significant changes to the organization. Free agency saw several starters signed, and now comes the draft which Washington hopes will bring everything together.

With six picks in the top 100, the Commanders still can make plenty of moves to further enhance their offseason work. While they have a total of eight picks in the upcoming draft, most only care about one.

And with that one pick, they hope that Maye is the 'franchise-altering' quarterback that will lead them into a new and exciting era.