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 1932 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 1937.[1] In 2020, the team retired the Redskins name after longstanding controversies surrounding it and briefly played as the Washington Football Team before becoming the Commanders in 2022.[1] 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]