NFL Draft: Commanders Trade Down With Saints?

What would a trade to the 16th pick look like?

The Washington Commanders find themselves in an interesting spot selecting 11th overall in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. 

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Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner from Cincinnati should be at the top of Washington's NFL Draft board, but is unlikely to last outside the Top-10

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Notre Dame's Kyle Hamilton has had some rough tests, and it may be enough to keep him waiting to pick No. 11, where the Commanders would be waiting

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Ohio State's Garrett Wilson is the top wide receiver on many draft boards, and as a third option, would still be a homerun pick for the Washington Commanders

Top talents like cornerback Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner from Cincinnati, wide receiver Garrett Wilson from Ohio State, and safety Kyle Hamilton from Notre Dame may all be off the board by the time we get out of the Top-10.

If one or more of them are still available, it's an easy decision to take the guy you like best.

For me, that's Gardner, Hamilton, then Wilson. I also believe this will be the order those players will come off the board later this month. 

So if they're gone, what does Washington do? 

One option is to pursue a potential trade with the New Orleans Saints who hold the 16th and 19th picks in the first round following an earlier trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. 

For this exercise, I used the Pro Football Focus draft simulator and followed traditional pick values for trade considerations. 

I'll spare you the math, but getting point value in exchange while moving from the 11th pick to the 16th, this is what the trade could look like...

Washington Gets:

   2022 NFL Draft Picks

     No. 16 (1st Round)

     No. 98 (3rd Round)

     No. 120 (4th Round)

   2023 NFL Draft Pick

     3rd Round

New Orleans Gets:

   2022 NFL Draft Picks

     No. 11 (1st Round)

     No. 189 (6th Round)

In this simulation, the Saints take Purdue edge defender George Karlaftis, and at pick 16 the top three players on the board are Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd, Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave, and Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. 

Needing to ensure quarterback Carson Wentz has the best opportunity for success, I give Washington the wide receiver, trading Olave's scarlet in for burgundy. 

After taking linebacker Chad Muma out of Wyoming with the 47th pick gained in the Wentz trade with the Indianapolis Colts, we add Florida running back at 98 with the second pick gained in the deal with the Saints. 

Cornerback Zyon McCollum joins the Commanders out of Sam Houston State next, and then with the final pick gained from New Orleans, we fill a need at tight end with Washington's Cade Otton. 

Now, we wait a while as Washington's 189th overall selection turns into Ole Miss wide receiver Dontario Drummond for the Saints, and we bring Florida linebacker Jeremiah Moon and Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan on board with our final picks in the seventh round.

Pro Football Focus

Pro Football Focus grades this mock draft with a letter grade of B+ while selections of Florida linebacker Jeremiah Moon and Wyoming linebacker Chad Muma the highest graded picks

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After trading from pick No. 11 to No. 16, the Washington Commanders nab Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave, and gain three more draft picks in the process

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Florida running back Dameon Pierce didn't earn us an A, but he's one important part of this draft simulated class that would help get Washington back into contention in the NFC East

Pro Football Focus thinks we did pretty well here, and shows the potential value the Washington Commanders can find if they choose to trade back overreaching for lesser talent at No. 11 if the top options come off the board. 

In the spirit of transparency, Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson was available in a lot of simulations I ran before getting to the criteria needed to execute this exercise. 

Adding Wilson would be great, of course, but after doing this, I would personally almost prefer this class over the one that includes Wilson but loses the potential of adding players like Pierce and Otton.

Just one of many potential scenarios the Washington Commanders could consider in the 2022 NFL Draft, with many others that we'll continue to explore.