The Washington Commanders held their annual pre-draft press conference Thursday with head coach Ron Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew.
Rivera and Mayhew covered a number of topics but wanted to keep the focus on the team and the 2023 NFL draft. There was a question about defensive end Chase Young’s fifth-year option. Rivera offered a quick response. There were questions about ownership, and Rivera shot them down, keeping the focus on the draft.
As far as next week’s draft, Mayhew discussed the pros and cons of trading up and trading back. While Mayhew spoke of why you trade up, it was clear he prefers to move back and add additional picks.
After all, it worked well for the Commanders last year when they moved back five spots and selected a player they loved — Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson — and also added more selections in the draft, two of which were running back Brian Robinson Jr. and quarterback Sam Howell.
So far, that looks like an excellent move for Washington.
What would propel Washington to move up?
“Yeah, frequently trade up are situations where you see a player who you think should have been gone and then you move up and try to try to get that player,” Mayhew said. “The player fits you; it’s an aggressive move to go up, I think, because you’re giving up typically [a] draft choice. There are other opportunities to pick other players to go and get that player. So, you have to have a consensus on a guy. You have to have a very, very strong opinion of a guy in my mind to move up.”
For Washington to move up, it would need to be for a player high on its draft board that dropped lower than anticipated.
As for trading back, Mayhew is a big fan.
“When you’re trading back, you’re acquiring more picks, and it’s been my experience to just having more volume and having more picks gives you more opportunities to hit, especially if you’re scouting well in those mid-to-late rounds,” Mayhew said.
“That’s what happened for us last year. You know, we moved back, we picked up a number of players we feel really good about, and those guys all have really bright futures with us right now. If we had gone up, I think we started with five or six picks to start the draft, so we had gone up and given up picks it had been slim pickings for us, so it varies a lot. You have to be really strong, I think in opinions in terms of moving up. I really prefer to move back most of the time.”
Of course, every team wants to trade back. You have to have a willing partner to move back, and that doesn’t always happen. But it’s clear from Mayhew’s words Washington will not be moving up from No. 16 next week. If there is a trade, the Commanders are going back.