Quarterback Robert Griffin III, 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year
Defensive end Chase Young, 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year

The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The team competes in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. They joined the NFL in 1932 as the Boston Braves.[1] In 1933, the name was changed to the Boston Redskins, with the team moving to Washington, D.C., in 1937.[2] The Redskins name was retired in 2020, with the team temporarily playing as the Washington Football Team until rebranding as the Commanders in 2022. Washington's first draft selection was Riley Smith, a blocking back from Alabama, in 1936.[3]

Washington have selected a draft's first overall pick twice: Harry Gilmer in 1948 and Ernie Davis in 1962. Four eventual Hall of Famers were selected by Washington in the first round: Sammy Baugh, Darrell Green, Art Monk, and Charley Taylor.[4] Two first-round picks by the team have been named NFL Rookie of the Year: quarterback Robert Griffin III in 2012 and defensive end Chase Young in 2020. 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.[5] 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.[6]

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
1936 2 Riley Smith FB Alabama [a]
1937 6 Sammy Baugh QB TCU
1938 9 Andy Farkas RB Detroit
1939 8 I. B. Hale T TCU
1940 8 Ed Boell QB New York
1941 10 Forest Evashevski QB Michigan
1942 6 Spec Sanders RB Texas
1943 10 Jack Jenkins FB Vanderbilt
1944 8 Mike Micka FB Colgate
1945 8 Jim Hardy QB USC
1946 9 Cal Rossi B UCLA
1947 4 Cal Rossi B UCLA
1948 1 Harry Gilmer RB Alabama [b]
4 Lowell Tew B Alabama
1949 8 Rob Goode B Texas A&M
1950 6 George Thomas B Oklahoma
1951 4 Leon Heath FB Oklahoma
1952 7 Larry Isbell B Baylor
1953 3 Jack Scarbath B Maryland
1954 8 Steve Meilinger E Kentucky
1955 4 Ralph Guglielmi QB Notre Dame
1956 12 Ed Vereb HB Maryland
1957 9 Don Bosseler FB Miami(FL)
1958 No Pick [c]
1959 4 Don Allard QB Boston College
1960 4 Richie Lucas QB Penn State [d]
1961 2 Norm Snead QB Wake Forest
3 Joe Rutgens T Illinois
1962 1 Ernie Davis B Syracuse
1963 7 Pat Richter E Wisconsin
1964 3 Charley Taylor HB Arizona State
1965 No Pick [e]
1966 6 Charlie Gogolak K Princeton
1967 13 Ray McDonald RB Idaho
1968 12 Jim Smith DB Oregon
1969 No Pick [f]
1970 No Pick [g]
1971 No Pick [h]
1972 No Pick [i]
1973 No Pick [j]
1974 No Pick [k]
1975 No Pick [l]
1976 No Pick [m]
1977 No Pick [n]
1978 No Pick [n]
1979 No Pick [o]
1980 18 Art Monk WR Syracuse
1981 20 Mark May T Pittsburgh
1982 No Pick [p]
1983 28 Darrell Green CB Texas A&I
1984 No Pick [q]
1985 No Pick [r]
1986 No Pick [s]
1987 No Pick [t]
1988 No Pick [u]
1989 No Pick
1990 No Pick [v]
1991 17 Bobby Wilson DT Michigan State [w]
1992 4 Desmond Howard WR Michigan
1993 19 Tom Carter DB Notre Dame
1994 3 Heath Shuler QB Tennessee
1995 4 Michael Westbrook WR Colorado
1996 30 Andre Johnson T Penn State
1997 17 Kenard Lang DE Miami(FL)
1998 No Pick [x]
1999 7 Champ Bailey CB Georgia
2000 2 LaVar Arrington LB Penn State
3 Chris Samuels T Alabama
2001 15 Rod Gardner WR Clemson
2002 32 Patrick Ramsey QB Tulane
2003 No Pick [y]
2004 5 Sean Taylor FS Miami(FL)
2005 9 Carlos Rogers CB Auburn
25 Jason Campbell QB Auburn
2006 No Pick [z]
2007 6 LaRon Landry SS LSU
2008 No Pick [aa]
2009 13 Brian Orakpo LB Texas
2010 4 Trent Williams T Oklahoma
2011 16 Ryan Kerrigan LB Purdue
2012 2 Robert Griffin III QB Baylor
2013 No Pick
2014 No Pick
2015 5 Brandon Scherff G Iowa
2016 22 Josh Doctson WR TCU
2017 17 Jonathan Allen DT Alabama
2018 13 Daron Payne DT Alabama
2019 15 Dwayne Haskins QB Ohio State
26 Montez Sweat DE Mississippi State
2020 2 Chase Young DE Ohio State
2021 19 Jamin Davis LB Kentucky
2022 16 Jahan Dotson WR Penn State
2023 16 Emmanuel Forbes CB Mississippi State

Footnotes

  1. ^ The first player ever selected in the NFL Draft, Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger in 1936, chose not to play in the NFL, thus making Smith the first drafted player to play.[7]
  2. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 1948 was a lottery bonus pick.
  3. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 1958 was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for Rudy Bukich.
  4. ^ Opted to sign with the Buffalo Bills of the newly formed American Football League
  5. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 1965 was traded to the Chicago Bears for Angelo Coia and Fred Williams.
  6. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 1969 was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for the rights to Gary Beban.
  7. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 1970 was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 1968 for Walt Rock.
  8. ^ The Redskins' traded their first and third round picks in 1971, their fourth, fifth, and sixth round picks in 1972, and Marlin McKeever to the Los Angeles Rams for Maxie Baughan, Jack Pardee, Myron Pottios, Jeff Jordan, John Wilbur, and Diron Talbert, along with a fifth round pick in 1971.
  9. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 1972 was traded to the New York Jets for Verlon Biggs.
  10. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 1973 was traded to the Baltimore Colts, along with Cotton Speyrer, for Roy Jefferson and a ninth round pick in 1973 and 1974. The pick was then traded to the San Diego Chargers.
  11. ^ The Los Angeles Rams traded Richie Petitbon to the Redskins for a 1973 sixth round pick, and their 1974 first round pick (revised from 1973 second round pick after Redskins learned they had previously traded 1973 second round pick). The Rams then traded the first round pick to the Chicago Bears.
  12. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 1975, along with a second round pick in 1976, was traded to the San Diego Chargers for Duane Thomas.
  13. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 1976 was traded to the Miami Dolphins for Joe Theismann.
  14. ^ a b The Redskins' first picks in 1977 and 1978 were traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, along with a second-round pick in 1979, for Dave Butz.
  15. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 1979 was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals for Lemar Parrish and Coy Bacon.
  16. ^ The Los Angeles Rams traded their 1981 third round pick (#69-Russ Grimm), two 1981 fifth round picks (#117-Byron Braggs and #132-Gary Sayre), and a 1982 second round pick (#49-Vernon Dean) to the Redskins for their first pick in 1982.
  17. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 1984 was traded to the New York Giants for a second-round pick and third-round pick.
  18. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 1985 was traded to the New Orleans Saints for George Rogers, and fifth, tenth, and eleventh round picks in 1985.
  19. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 1986 was traded to the Atlanta Falcons before the 1985 Draft, along with a second round pick in 1985, for a second round pick in 1985 and 1986.
  20. ^ The San Francisco 49ers traded their 1986 second round pick (#45-Walter Murray) to the Redskins for a 1986 tenth round pick (#270-Harold Hallman) and their 1987 first round pick.
  21. ^ The Redskins' first round picks in 1988 and 1989 were traded to the Chicago Bears, as compensation for Wilber Marshall.
  22. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 1990 was traded to the Atlanta Falcons before the 1989 Draft, along with a second round pick in 1989, for Gerald Riggs.
  23. ^ The Redskins acquired their first pick in 1991 from the Houston Oilers via the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys.
  24. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 1998 was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, along with a third-round pick in 1998, as compensation for Dan Wilkinson.
  25. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 2003 was traded to the New York Jets for Laveranues Coles. The pick was eventually traded to the New England Patriots.
  26. ^ The Redskins' first pick in 2006 was traded to the San Francisco 49ers via the Denver Broncos. It was part of the 2005 Draft transaction between Washington and Denver. See citation above.
  27. ^ The Atlanta Falcons traded two 2008 second round picks (#34-Devin Thomas and #48-Fred Davis), and a 2008 fourth round pick (which was then traded to the Tennessee Titans who drafted William Hayes) to the Redskins for their 2008 first round pick (21st overall–Sam Baker), a 2008 third round pick (#84-Harry Douglas), and a 2008 fifth round pick (#154-Kroy Biermann).
  1. ^ "History: History by Decades". Washington Redskins. Archived from the original on September 20, 2008. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
  2. ^ "Washington Redskins (1937–present)". Sportsecyclopedia. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
  3. ^ "NFL Draft History: First Round by Team". NFL.com. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
  4. ^ "Hall of Famers by Franchise". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 6, 2007.
  5. ^ "The Ernie I knew". Star-Gazette. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved November 6, 2007.
  6. ^ "American football: Redskins' Taylor dies after shooting". Associated Press. November 27, 2007. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2007.
  7. ^ "Pro Football Draft History: The 1930s". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 4, 2007.

References

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