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There wasn’t a great deal of optimism surrounding the Washington Commanders from their fans ahead of the 2023 NFL draft. Whether it’s been the non-stop drama surrounding the ownership situation, the always unsettled quarterback position, or Washington’s failures down the stretch, fans weren’t expecting the best in last month’s draft.
According to Sportsbook Review, Washington fans were the third-least hopeful that the Commanders would have a strong draft, scoring 4.91 on a scale of 1-10 before the draft.
The Commanders selected Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes at No. 16 overall in the draft. While some criticized Washington for picking Forbes there because he weighs 166 pounds, no one can deny the former SEC star is a terrific player.
After picking Forbes, Washington doubled down on the secondary, selecting Illinois defensive back Quan Martin in the second round. Where Forbes is an outside cornerback, Martin is a jack-of-all-trades.
The Commanders addressed their offensive line with their next two choices and added depth at defensive end and running back with their final three selections.
So how were fans feeling after the draft?
Sportsbook Review surveyed the same 3,000 fans of the 32 NFL teams, and the Commanders scored 5.86 this time around — an improvement of .95 from before the draft. While still not great, it showed that fans were pleasantly surprised by Washington’s moves.
Only the Texans, Raiders and Eagles scored higher in the fan anticipation vs. fan reaction survey post-draft.