Just when you think you know what’s going to happen on night one of the NFL Draft, the league decides that you, measly plebian, don’t know anything. It happens every year. Yesterday’s first round was… different. Usually, we have nutty trades up into the top 10 for a quarterback, but yesterday, we didn’t see our first trade until pick 11. We didn’t see a QB go until pick 20 (the latest I’ve ever seen the first one taken), and only one go in the first round since 2013. Does that mean we didn’t see some head-scratching decisions? Of course not.
It’s a bit of a tradition that the day after night one, I go through some of the more off-the-wall selections in the first round and this year is no different.
Quick disclaimer: this is not to be seen as an attack on any of the players. This is more an insight into my thought process looking at picks where I don’t understand the value. The players themselves don’t make the decision to be drafted this high and they should be celebrated for making generational wealth for themselves and their families last night. All that glitters isn’t gold, however, so let’s talk.
Washington Commanders: Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State, 16th overall
This pick was the first one that truly made me confused. The Commanders had pick 11 but traded down with New Orleans so the Saints could draft Chris Olave. The Lions then traded up 20 selections to get Jameson Williams and then the last possible selection I’d thought of for Washington at pick 11, Kyle Hamilton, was selected by Baltimore at 14.
WR was always a need for Washington, but Jahan Dotson just seems like a stretch at 16. Don’t believe me? Dotson himself said that he wasn’t expecting to go in this range and was watching the NBA playoffs when he got the call. His market was seemingly always in the late first-round or early second round. I had Dotson at 43 overall, which equates to a mid-second round player. I think Dotson is going to be fine in Washington, but I just can’t quite make sense of the value here.
