After last season ended for the Washington Commanders, Charles Leno gave a blunt assessment of his play when asked how he thought his year went. The left tackle said he didn’t play up to his standards. And frankly, he said, his mistakes probably cost his team some games.
“Honestly, I gave up too many big plays,” Leno said.
Leno graded out as a solid pass-blocker in 2022, but his shortcomings in key moments could justify the Commanders taking a tackle when they’re on the clock Thursday in the first round of the NFL draft. Washington holds the 16th pick — high enough to expect that one of the top tackles in this year’s class should still be available.
Washington arguably has greater needs on the interior of the offensive line and at cornerback, but the Commanders may lean toward tackle because it is seen as a premium position in the NFL that can go quickly in the draft. In ESPN’s recent mock draft from Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, for instance, the duo predicted four tackles would be selected in the first round — all taken between picks 9 to 16.
In 2022, five of the eight first-round offensive linemen were tackles.
“I think there’s a bigger dropoff at that position if you don’t get one there with your first pick,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah told reporters last week.
So who might the Commanders target? Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr. (6-foot-6, 313 pounds), Georgia’s Broderick Jones (6-foot-5, 311 pounds) and Tennessee’s Darnell Wright (6-foot-5, 333 pounds) are generally seen as the best pure tackle prospects in this year’s draft. Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski could be drafted before all of them, though there are questions about whether the left tackle is better suited at guard in the NFL.
But there’s no guarantee that any of them will be available when it’s Washington’s turn to pick. After all, there are other tackle-hungry teams like the Chicago Bears (No. 9), New England Patriots (No. 14) and New York Jets (No. 15) who pick ahead of the Commanders. After Round 1, the talent drops off, though there are still potential starters to be found such as Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison (6-foot-4, 315 pounds) and Syracuse’s Matthew Bergeron (6-foot-5, 318 pounds).
Washington general manager Martin Mayhew said last week the team has the flexibility “to go anywhere” in the draft after a productive free agency. The Commanders used the period to beef up the trenches as they signed center Nick Gates and right tackle Andrew Wylie. Both those players have experience playing multiple spots, which Mayhew said opens up the team’s draft options.
Wylie’s presence would make a selection like Tennessee’s Wright interesting. Wright played right tackle in college, and The Athletic projects him to be a “plug and play” starter at the next level. In that scenario, Wylie might be moved to right guard — where he played all of 2020 for the Kansas City Chiefs.
If the Commanders end up drafting a pure left tackle, they would have options with Leno. The team could always look to release the 32-year-old — a move that would leave $8 million on the books but would save $4.25 million in salary cap space. The Commanders opted to take a similar route in 2021 when they cut longtime starter Morgan Moses a month after drafting tackle Sam Cosmi.
Another route would be to keep Leno on the roster and let him compete with the rookie for the starting spot. There are no assurances that the rookie would be an immediate upgrade over Leno, even with the veteran’s struggles in 2022.
The Bears, coincidentally, made the mistake of prematurely cutting Leno in 2021 when they thought they drafted their left tackle of the future in Teven Jenkins. Jenkins, however, missed all of his rookie year with a season-ending back injury and Chicago scraped by with 40-year-old Jason Peters. Chicago’s misstep paved the way for Washington to sign Leno.
Still, Leno gave up a career-high eight sacks last season, according to Pro Football Focus. One of those sacks resulted in New York’s Kayvon Thibodeaux stripping quarterback Taylor Heinicke and returning the ball for a touchdown — a score that ultimately made a difference in Washington’s costly loss to the Giants.
If the Commanders do attempt to upgrade the position, it won’t be a surprise.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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