Before Washington Football Team even takes its first snap of training camp, NFL draftniks are already predicting moves for improving the roster in ... 2022.
Despite signing cornerbacks Kendall Fuller and William Jackson III to long-term contracts in the past two offseasons, Bleacher Report's Way-Too-Early Mock Draft has WFT address its cornerback depth in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
In their Way-Too-Early 2022 Mock Draft, B/R selects CB Kaiir Elam out of Florida.
Florida's Kaiir Elam is a 6'2" true junior who often wins at the jam and consistently competes for contested passes. With his size and length, Washington can bookend Jackson and allow Fuller to play more over the slot, thus pushing Jimmy Moreland out of the primary rotation and strengthening the group's overall depth.
Elam will join the NFL with a family legacy. His father Abram went undrafted in 2005 but went on to have a successful career, playing for four teams in seven seasons. His uncle Matt was a first-round pick in 2013 by Baltimore, but injuries kept him sidelined and an arrest in 2017 ended his NFL career.
But let's be honest: We think it's way too early for the WFT to address the cornerback position in this way-too-early mock draft.
The immediate focus should be pushed towards the quarterback position with Taylor Heinicke and Ryan Fitzpatrick currently the two likeliest players to start this season. B/R's mock draft has four quarterbacks selected before WFT is on the clock at 12, but Nevada QB Carson Strong is taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers two picks later at 14.
There is an argument that the team looks outside of the quarterback position in the first round as well. Their last two first-round quarterbacks, Robert Griffin III and Dwayne Haskins, did not make it to their second contracts.
We think that, with Brandon Scherff's future beyond the 2021 season in jeopardy, addressing the offensive line in the draft might also make sense. Ikem Ekwonu from N.C. State was mocked the pick right before and could also be an option for WFT.
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