NFL Draft: Will Commanders Have to Trade Up for CB?

The Washington Commanders have two solid cornerbacks atop the depth chart in veteran Kendall Fuller and third-year player Benjamin St-Juste. 

Danny Johnson is currently penciled in as the Commanders' starter at nickel, and beyond those three the perceived drop-off is significant. 

Whether through lack of experience or struggling with coverage and the commission of penalties, the rest of Washington's cornerback group has left many pegging the position as an area of need in the upcoming NFL Draft. 

And if they want to get one of the best in this year's class, the Commanders may have to pay to get him.

Because they aren't alone in needing a cornerback heading into the draft. 

In fact, there are about a dozen teams other than Washington who have the position at or near the top of their needs list as it stands today. 

Of them, only two or three projects to seriously consider taking one before the Commanders get on the clock at pick No. 16, which sounds like a good thing. 

And it is if you're the Green Bay Packers at No. 15.

With Oregon Ducks cornerback Christian Gonzalez and Illinois Fighting Illini prospect Devon Witherspoon both likely off the board when the Packers get their turn on the clock, there are going to be strong candidates to be the next one taken still remaining. 

Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has been long considered the third-best position prospect of the group, but Maryland Terrapins defensive back Deonte Banks has been climbing the boards as of late.

And if either of these two men is available at No. 16, it would be somewhat surprising to see Washington pass on them. 

This means that if you're the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, or Baltimore Ravens specifically, you're keeping an eye on what the board looks like when Green Bay gets on the clock. 

The Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, and Philadelphia Eagles - if they don't take a cornerback with their first pick on Day 1 - could all feasibly be in the trade-up talks here too, but they'd have to pay significantly more than the other three to jump ahead of the Commanders.

For Washington, the best defense is a good offense, and negotiating a trade with the Packers itself could be the preferred path. 

In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers found themselves in a similar position, only theirs involved the offensive tackle position.

And rather than wait and hope nobody jumped in front of them, they traded their first-round and fourth-round picks in a one-spot swap with the San Francisco 49ers who also gave up a seventh-round pick.

For the Commanders to do the same, they'd likely have to give up their pick at No. 118 to get the swap and pick No. 232 or 235 from Green Bay.

But that's just one avenue the team could take, and only if there was just one cornerback Washington was absolutely in love with in that spot. 

Of course, the Commanders would also have to see cornerback as a critical need the way a lot of outsiders do. 

If they don't, this whole conversation could flip into a selling point for Washington, not a buying one.