The Washington Commanders are having a fantastic 2024 season and head into the divisional playoff round against the Detroit Lions on Saturday. The way they played this season saw their first-round draft selection land at 28, quite a bit lower than the second-overall pick they received last year. But that’s the goal, right?
This year’s draft class isn’t nearly as exciting as last year’s, and the Commanders are sitting in pretty good shape as far as player personnel, which will allow the Commanders to draft for the future. To that end, Pro Football Focus says that tight end Tyler Warren, out of Penn State, is the perfect prospect for Washington.
The ageless Zach Ertz has been a useful weapon for Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels this year, as he has contributed 70 catches and seven scores, but Washington would do well to start stockpiling youthful weaponry for its new franchise signal caller.
Tyler Warren has proved to be one of the best physical mismatches in college football this season, amassing 100 receptions for 1,178 yards and eight scores with 63 first downs (before Penn State‘s semifinal matchup against Notre Dame). Warren has also been excellent on contested balls, hauling in 13 of 21 such targets this season.
The Commanders’ tight end situation, currently, is Zach Ertz as the starter, John Bates is a blocking tight end, and 2024 second-round pick Ben Sinnott in the third spot. Sinnott played quite a bit this year, and Ertz and Bates are both free agents after the season, so drafting a tight end isn’t a terrible idea. But it’s key to remember that Ertz could be back since he remained healthy this year, and Sinnott has a lot of potential we haven’t seen yet.
There are over three months until the 2025 NFL draft, so the Commanders have plenty of time to evaluate and decide what they want to do with that pick.