
Things are starting to heat up with the NFL Draft set to kick off in less than a week in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the Washington Commanders have a good problem on their hands as they gear up to be on the clock with their seventh-overall pick in the first round.
Plenty of names have been thrown around as to who the Commanders should or could take with the pick, but general manager Adam Peters could also find himself in an advantageous position to trade back and acquire further draft capital.
Many have clamored for this to be the move, including myself, but according to Peters, it's more likely they end up picking at seven than trading the pick away.
"I would say more likely than not that would happen," Peters said. "You never know. It'll depend on who's on the board."
Peters is right, it depends on how the board falls, but it will also depend on what sort of package a team looking to trade up is willing to give them to move into the seventh slot if the guys they targeted have already been drafted.
The lack of premium positions, like quarterback, will likely come into play in the early portion of the NFL Draft, making it clear that teams ahead of Washington will likely take players they also have circled as possible additions in areas of need.
Players like Arvell Reese, Rueben Bain Jr., Sonny Styles, and David Bailey all fit this mold, and all could also provide the Commanders with elite talent, but they likely could all go ahead of when they pick.
Despite non-premium positions being greatly sought after in the first round this season, there is always the opportunity to trade back and still ensure you are getting one of the more elite talents in the draft that Peters and company have on their board.
It is no foregone conclusion that the Commanders won't entertain the idea of making a trade in the first round, but as Peters sees it, it doesn't seem likely given the players who will be available for them to select seventh overall.
The most important aspect of it all will be getting a player in the first round that will be able to immediately come in and contribute to a team that is looking to rebound off a tumultuous last season.
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