List of Washington Commanders first-round draft picks explained

The Washington Commanders are a professional American football franchise based in the Washington metropolitan area. They are members of the East division in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League (NFL). The Commanders were founded in as the Boston Braves, named after the local baseball franchise.^[1] The franchise changed its name the following year to the Redskins and moved to Washington, D.C. in . In, the team retired the Redskins name after longstanding controversies surrounding it and briefly played as the Washington Football Team before becoming the Commanders in . Washington's first draft selection was Riley Smith, a blocking back from Alabama, in 1936.^[2]

Washington have selected a draft's first overall pick twice: Harry Gilmer in 1948 and Ernie Davis in 1962. Five eventual Hall of Famers were selected by Washington in the first round: Champ Bailey, Sammy Baugh, Darrell Green, Art Monk, and Charley Taylor.^[3] Three first-round picks by the team have been named NFL Rookie of the Year: halfback Charley Taylor in 1964,^{[4] [5]} quarterback Robert Griffin III in 2012^[6] and defensive end Chase Young in 2020.^[7] Two Washington first-round draft picks have died during their active careers. The first was Davis, who was traded shortly after the selection to the Cleveland Browns for Bobby Mitchell and Leroy Jackson and died from leukemia before ever playing in an NFL game.^[8] The other was Sean Taylor, who the team selected fifth overall in 2004 and was fatally shot at home while rehabbing from an injury in November 2007.^[9]

Player selections

B	Back	K	Kicker	NT	Nose tackle
C	Center	LB	Linebacker	FB	Fullback
DB	Defensive back	P	Punter	HB	Halfback
DE	Defensive end	QB	Quarterback	WR	Wide receiver
DT	Defensive tackle	RB	Running back	G	Guard
E	End	T	Offensive tackle	TE	Tight end
	Enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

First-round draft picks

Year	Pick	Player name	Position	College	Notes	Refs
1936	2	Riley Smith	FB	Alabama		^[10]
1937	6	Sammy Baugh	QB	TCU		^[11]
1938	9	Andy Farkas	RB	Detroit		^[12]
1939	8	I. B. Hale	T	TCU		^[13]
1940	8	Ed Boell	QB	New York		^[14]
1941	10	Forest Evashevski	QB	Michigan		^[15]
1942	6	Spec Sanders	RB	Texas		^[16]
1943	10	Jack Jenkins	FB	Vanderbilt		^[17]
1944	8	Mike Micka	FB	Colgate		^[18]
1945	8	Jim Hardy	QB	USC		^[19]
1946	9	Cal Rossi	B	UCLA		^[20]
1947	4	Cal Rossi	B	UCLA		^[21]
1948	1	Harry Gilmer	RB	Alabama		^[22]
	4	Lowell Tew	B	Alabama
1949	8	Rob Goode	B	Texas A&M		^[23]
1950	6	George Thomas	B	Oklahoma		^[24]
1951	4	Leon Heath	FB	Oklahoma		^[25]
1952	7	Larry Isbell	B	Baylor		^[26]
1953	3	Jack Scarbath	B	Maryland		^[27]
1954	8	Steve Meilinger	E	Kentucky		^[28]
1955	4	Ralph Guglielmi	QB	Notre Dame		^[29]
1956	12	Ed Vereb	HB	Maryland		^[30]
1957	9	Don Bosseler	FB	Miami(FL)		^[31]
1958	No Pick					^[32]
1959	4	Don Allard	QB	Boston College		^[33]
1960	4	Richie Lucas	QB	Penn State		^[34]
1961	2	Norm Snead	QB	Wake Forest		^[35]
	3	Joe Rutgens	T	Illinois
1962	1	Ernie Davis	B	Syracuse		^[36]
1963	7	Pat Richter	E	Wisconsin		^[37]
1964	3	Charley Taylor	HB	Arizona State		^[38]
1965	No Pick					^[39]
1966	6	Charlie Gogolak	K	Princeton		^[40]
1967	13	Ray McDonald	RB	Idaho		^[41]
1968	12	Jim Smith	DB	Oregon		^[42]
1969	No Pick					^[43]
1970	No Pick					^[44]
1971	No Pick					^[45]
1972	No Pick					^[46]
1973	No Pick					^[47]
1974	No Pick					^[48]
1975	No Pick					^[49]
1976	No Pick					^[50]
1977	No Pick					^[51]
1978	No Pick					^[52]
1979	No Pick					^[53]
1980	18	Art Monk	WR	Syracuse		^[54]
1981	20	Mark May	T	Pittsburgh		^[55]
1982	No Pick					^[56]
1983	28	Darrell Green	CB	Texas A&I		^[57]
1984	No Pick
1985	No Pick
1986	No Pick
1987	No Pick
1988	No Pick
1989	No Pick
1990	No Pick
1991	17	Bobby Wilson	DT	Michigan State		^[58]
1992	4	Desmond Howard	WR	Michigan		^[59]
1993	19	Tom Carter	DB	Notre Dame		^[60]
1994	3	Heath Shuler	QB	Tennessee		^[61]
1995	4	Michael Westbrook	WR	Colorado		^[62]
1996	30	Andre Johnson	T	Penn State		^[63]
1997	17	Kenard Lang	DE	Miami(FL)		^[64]
1998	No Pick
1999	7	Champ Bailey	CB	Georgia		^[65]
2000	2	LaVar Arrington	LB	Penn State		^[66]
	3	Chris Samuels	T	Alabama
2001	15	Rod Gardner	WR	Clemson		^[67]
2002	32	Patrick Ramsey	QB	Tulane		^[68]
2003	No Pick
2004	5	Sean Taylor	FS	Miami(FL)		^[69]
2005	9	Carlos Rogers	CB	Auburn		^[70]
	25	Jason Campbell	QB	Auburn
2006	No Pick
2007	6	LaRon Landry	SS	LSU		^[71]
2008	No Pick
2009	13	Brian Orakpo	LB	Texas		^[72]
2010	4	Trent Williams	T	Oklahoma		^[73]
2011	16	Ryan Kerrigan	LB	Purdue		^[74]
2012	2	Robert Griffin III	QB	Baylor		^[75]
2013	No Pick
2014	No Pick
2015	5	Brandon Scherff	G	Iowa		^[76]
2016	22	Josh Doctson	WR	TCU		^[77]
2017	17	Jonathan Allen	DT	Alabama		^[78]
2018	13	Daron Payne	DT	Alabama		^[79]
2019	15	Dwayne Haskins	QB	Ohio State		^[80]
	26	Montez Sweat	DE	Mississippi State
2020	2	Chase Young	DE	Ohio State		^[81]
2021	19	Jamin Davis	LB	Kentucky		^[82]
2022	16	Jahan Dotson	WR	Penn State		^[83]
2023	16	Emmanuel Forbes	CB	Mississippi State		^[84]
2024	2	Jayden Daniels	QB	LSU		^[85]

References

General

• Web site: Draft History . . March 19, 2024.
• Web site: Pro Football Hall of Fame – NFL Draft History . . March 19, 2024.
• Web site: Washington Commanders Draft History . . March 19, 2024.
• Web site: Pro Sports Transactions . Professional Football Transactions Archive . March 20, 2024.
• Web site: NFL Draft Basics:Determining Order of Selection . Alder . James . football.about.com . October 23, 2007 . January 10, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070110030031/http://football.about.com/od/miscinformation/a/detdraftorder.htm . dead .
• Web site: DatabaseFootball.com . DatabaseFootball.com–Washington Redskins . October 23, 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071012204033/http://databasefootball.com/teams/teampage.htm?tm=WAS&lg=nfl . October 12, 2007 .
• Web site: DraftHistory.com . Draft by Year . November 5, 2007 .
• Web site: The Football Database . Draft History . November 5, 2007 .
• News: . NFL's Draft-Day Quagmire: To Fill a Need or Catch a Star? . November 18, 2007 . Nancy . Gay . April 14, 2000 .

Specific

Notes and References

1. Web site: Washington Commanders Team History. Pro Football Hall of Fame. March 14, 2024. en.
2. Web site: . NFL Draft History: First Round by Team . November 15, 2007.
3. Web site: Washington Commanders Team Greats. Pro Football Hall of Fame. March 20, 2024. en.
4. News: Washington Back Named Top Rookie. Library of Virginia. Northern Virginia Sun. December 29, 1964. 1. March 13, 2024.
5. Web site: AP Rookie of the Year Winners. March 16, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
6. Web site: AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Winners. March 15, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
7. Web site: AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Winners. March 15, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
8. Web site: . The Ernie I knew . November 6, 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071214131619/http://www.stargazettesports.com/ErnieDavis/ernie1.html . December 14, 2007 .
9. News: American football: Redskins' Taylor dies after shooting . . November 27, 2007 . December 6, 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110520175827/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hDiQaCKctJga3VcwK7J8SSUZIKQA . May 20, 2011 .
10. Web site: 1936 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
11. Web site: 1937 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
12. Web site: 1938 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
13. Web site: 1939 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
14. Web site: 1940 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
15. Web site: 1941 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
16. Web site: 1942 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
17. Web site: 1943 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
18. Web site: 1944 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
19. Web site: 1945 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
20. Web site: 1946 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
21. Web site: 1947 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
22. Web site: 1948 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
23. Web site: 1949 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
24. Web site: 1950 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
25. Web site: 1951 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
26. Web site: 1952 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
27. Web site: 1953 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
28. Web site: 1954 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
29. Web site: 1955 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
30. Web site: 1956 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
31. Web site: 1957 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
32. Web site: 1958 NFL Draft. March 27, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
33. Web site: 1959 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
34. Web site: 1960 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
35. Web site: 1961 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
36. Web site: 1962 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
37. Web site: 1963 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
38. Web site: 1964 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
39. Web site: 1965 NFL Draft. March 27, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
40. Web site: 1966 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
41. Web site: 1967 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
42. Web site: 1968 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
43. Web site: 1969 NFL Draft. March 27, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
44. Web site: 1970 NFL Draft. March 27, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
45. Web site: 1971 NFL Draft. March 27, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
46. Web site: 1972 NFL Draft. March 27, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
47. Web site: 1973 NFL Draft. March 27, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
48. Web site: 1974 NFL Draft. March 27, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
49. Web site: 1975 NFL Draft. March 27, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
50. Web site: 1976 NFL Draft. March 27, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
51. Web site: 1977 NFL Draft. March 27, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
52. Web site: 1978 NFL Draft. March 27, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
53. Web site: 1979 NFL Draft. March 27, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
54. Web site: 1980 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
55. Web site: 1981 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
56. Web site: 1982 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
57. Web site: 1983 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
58. Web site: 1991 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
59. Web site: 1992 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
60. Web site: 1993 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
61. Web site: 1994 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
62. Web site: 1995 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
63. Web site: 1996 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
64. Web site: 1997 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
65. Web site: 1999 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
66. Web site: 2000 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
67. Web site: 2001 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
68. Web site: 2002 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
69. Web site: 2004 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
70. Web site: 2005 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
71. Web site: 2007 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
72. Web site: 2009 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
73. Web site: 2010 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
74. Web site: 2011 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
75. Web site: 2012 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
76. Web site: 2015 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
77. Web site: 2016 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
78. Web site: 2017 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
79. Web site: 2018 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
80. Web site: 2019 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
81. Web site: 2020 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
82. Web site: 2021 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
83. Web site: 2022 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
84. Web site: 2023 NFL Draft. March 19, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.
85. Web site: 2024 NFL Draft. April 26, 2024. Pro-Football-Reference.com. en.