Hogs Haven
A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, and a sprinkling of other stuff
Just why Amos, who was seen as a late first-rounder, fell so far was bemusing to most. Jeremy Fowler from ESPN provided some clarity on the situation, which centered on a back issue that came up during his medical assessments.
Although the Commanders and Amos didn’t seem particularly concerned by the prognosis, the insider suggested it was enough for other teams to go in different directions. He also acknowledged that Washington got great value with a prospect many believe will be a plus starter sooner rather than later.
“Washington got a plus starter with second-round defensive back Trey Amos, who has size, speed and instincts. Selecting him at No. 61 was considered great value. One aspect that might have hurt his value slightly: multiple teams discovered a back injury in the predraft process. This wasn’t a major red flag for some teams, but it was at least a mild concern that “probably caused him to slide a bit,” as one AFC exec said. However, people around Amos and the Commanders did not seem overly concerned by it.”
Jeremy Fowler
This explains a lot. At the same time, Peters wouldn’t have gone with Amos if there was even the slightest doubt about his long-term outlook on the health front.
Washington’s comfort level with its draft class stems partially from the additions they made in free agency. Peters said they liked the group of edge rushers in the draft but also felt comfortable with players like Deatrich Wise and Jacob Martin joining a position that already had Dorance Armstrong and Clelin Ferrell; there was less of a need to get a defensive back because they signed Jonathan Jones and Will Harris; and acquiring Tunsil from the Houston Texans allowed them more flexibility on the offensive line.
So, even though the draft capital was smaller compared to last year, the Commanders felt like they could do whatever they wanted with their picks.
“It’s a great feeling going through three days with that mindset and being able to say, ‘Hey, best player on the board makes sense,’” Newmark said. “Sometimes it was need or perceived need or whatever, but we were able to do what we felt was right every time without really being forced to do something just positionally.”
The Commanders certainly felt like they got the best players available with their first two picks. Peters said both Josh Conerly Jr. and Trey Amos were at the top of their board when they were on the clock, and they were holding their collective breath as they continued to get passed up by other...
