Former Washington tight end Logan Paulsen raised a legitimate question with Craig Hoffman Thursday on the “Take Command Podcast.”
Paulsen reminded listeners that Ohio State offensive tackle Dawand Jones was still available when the Commanders went on the clock for the 97th selection late in round three of last week’s 2023 NFL draft.
“My question is, is the risk of that player worth the 97th pick for a guy who has top-five talent, when and if he is in shape and he is ready to play football?”
Paulsen raised the question because the Commanders looking for an offensive tackle had all four top prospects taken by the time they selected at 16. Jones was there at 97 when the Commanders determined to not take the huge offensive tackle, selecting instead Arkansas center Ricky Stromberg.
Paulsen spoke to one of his NFL friends who conveyed to Paulsen that their staff had removed Jones from their board entirely.
“They (Commanders) like bigger centers, and Stromberg is more their type. This is not an indictment of Stromberg in any way. I think Stromberg is an excellent football player. But I tend to value tackle more than I value center.”
Paulsen also questioned the Commanders selecting Utah G/T Braeden Daniels at 118 when Pittsburgh tackle Carter Warren was available and taken two picks later. Prior to his ACL injury last season, Paulsen said Warren was projected by several to be a top 60 pick.
Do you get what Paulsen is saying? Offensive tackles being much more important, carry more value. Therefore, twice Washington could have taken a higher-upside tackle at either 97 or 118 and decided to go with a safer selection both times.
Paulsen continued, “There is a history with big offensive tackles with weight issues in college continuing to have weight issues in the pros.“ Paulsen expressed that Jones at the Senior Bowl came in at 370 and looked like a top-five offensive tackle.
But Paulsen also said that Jones in the season had gotten up to 420 pounds “and looked enormous.” If he “stays down at 370, it’s a party now.“ So Paulsen asked does 420 pound Jones have more upside than Braeden Daniels.
He also pointed out Jones was to come in for a 30-visit, but it fell through. Paulsen said he was not altogether certain but willing to wager a lot of money that Jones was again really out of shape, and they (Commanders) wanted to get him on the scales.
Craig Hoffman offered a logical, direct point when declaring, “I’d rather trust Braeden Daniels to put on 15 pounds than Jones to lose 30 pounds…it’s a no-brainer.”
Here is the entire segment; its worth the listen.