Way-too-early Commanders 2023 NFL Draft preview

The 2023 NFL Draft is April 27-29 in Kansas City. Here is the projected first-round order, per Tankathon.

2022 record: 8-8-1 | First-round pick: No. 16 | Team needs: QB, Offensive line

Snapshot: The Commanders need a quarterback if they want to compete in the NFC East. Taylor Heinicke is a free agent, and Carson Wentz will be cut, leaving only QB Sam Howell, a fifth-round pick from North Carolina.

Potential first-round picks: Bryce Young, QB, Alabama; Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida; O’Cyrus Torrence, guard, Florida 

Young is the consensus top pick in the draft. The Commanders would need to trade with Chicago, which has the No. 1 overall pick, to get him. With Justin Fields playing well, Chicago doesn't need a QB. With Dan Snyder looking to sell the Commanders, a bold move to trade up to get Young isn’t out of the question.   

If Washington can’t trade up, Richardson could be an intriguing prospect at No. 16. The former Gator is a chiseled 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds with 10 percent body fat. 

As a junior at Florida, Richardson passed for 2,549 yards and 17 touchdowns and ran for 654 yards with a 6.3-yard average. 

Should the Commanders acquire a veteran quarterback such as Derek Carr, drafting an offensive lineman would make sense. There are several good options, including Torrence, a 6-foot-5, 347-pound guard. In two years at Louisiana and one at Florida, Torrence didn’t allow a sack. He didn't have a penalty in 2022.