Hogs Haven
Players to accelerate Adam Peters’ roster recalibration
With the draft fast approaching, it is time once again for the annual unveiling of the Washington Commanders Little Board. This is my annual wish list of players that I would like to see Washington draft.
This year’s edition was selected from the 214 players on the big board I prepared for the DraftBot’s mock draft. The 28 selections represent the elite of the elite. They are not just players I think Washington should draft. These are players, spread throughout the draft, with special talents, abilities and mindsets that Washington needs to rekindle the winning tradition which has lain dormant since Mark Rypien hung up his cleats.
The 2024 Little Board is special in two ways.
First, while I always lean heavily toward the Best Player Available philosophy, espoused by NFL GMs, this year I have indulged more than usual in seeking out players needed to successfully implement Joe Whitt’s new defensive scheme. Although, if I’m being honest, that might have something to do with the fact that he and boss Dan Quinn pretty much like the same kind of players that I do.
Second, I have also bent more than usual in the direction of drafting for need, with a heavy focus on players who will help the Commanders’ rookie QB make the transition to the NFL.
However, fans who can’t think about anything except quarterbacks and offensive tackles will be disappointed by how few spots I have allocated to those positions. While I fully recognize the importance of drafting those players, the last few months of non-stop discussion of nothing else have robbed me of the ability to get excited about any but a select few players at the positions of greatest need. I really can’t wait for the draft to be over so we can stop talking about them.
Before we get into this year’s Little Board, I always like to recap how the previous class fared.
Last season’s Little Board blew out beyond the original concept, to the point it was looking more like a big board. To keep it manageable, I put stars on the 19 players at the top of the 2023 wish list, to identify the core players I would follow-up this season.
The 2023 Little Board All-Stars were CB Devon Witherspoon (pick #5, Seahawks) and CB/S Brian Branch (pick #45, Lions). I won’t claim any credit for identifying Witherspoon, because he was listed as an Impossible Dream (out of Washington’s reach) and was widely regarded as one of the elite prospects of the draft.
I will do a victory lap over Branch. I caught heat for suggesting him as an option for the Commanders at #16 (after my top logical choice, CB Christian Gonzalez). If Ron Rivera had picked Branch instead of Emmanuel Forbes, he would have looked like a genius. Branch slid in the draft because of a slow 40 time. He was clocked as the fastest...
