The NFL draft serves to add young faces to the professional landscape in a fair way. Every team does its own research, conducts interviews, and heavily scouts collegiate athletes to determine which ones might be the best to add to their roster. The problem is that they are trying to predict how college-level performances will translate to the NFL, and there’s no real scientific method to do so.
The unpredictable nature of the draft and its impact on a player’s career is why Pro Football Focus continually conducts re-drafts. They recently did a re-draft of the 2016 NFL draft, and it’s a doozy. The article states that the Washington Commanders selected wide receiver Will Fuller V with the 21st pick in that draft. However, that was the Houston Texans. The rest of the information appears to be accurate, though, so here goes:
Washington Commanders: RB Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State (Round 1, Pick 4)Original Pick: WR Will Fuller V, Notre DameElliott’s rushing efficiency tapered off, but he was a true workhorse during his first seven seasons in Dallas. From 2016 to 2022, he earned an elite 90.5 PFF rushing grade. Including the postseason, he led the NFL in carries while placing second behind Derrick Henry in rushing yards (8,655). No other player came within 2,000 yards of Elliott and Henry across that span.
Washington’s actual pick was No. 22 overall, and TCU wide receiver Josh Doctson was the selection. At the time, it seemed like a smart move. The 6-foot-2 Doctson was a unanimous All-American, and the then-Redskins were about to see their top two receivers, Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson, enter free agency in 2017.
How did that work out? Doctson spent only three seasons in the burgundy and gold, appearing in 33 games, with 81 receptions for 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns. Doctson is now only 32 years old, but has been out of the NFL for six years.
So, about the redraft.
The Commanders do have a thing for Ohio State football players, so suggesting they’d pick Ezekiel Elliott isn’t far-fetched. Plus, if you look at the Commanders’ ground game during that time, it could’ve used Elliott. Zeke would have definitely made an impact on the Commanders had he been selected there.
However, Zeke was never going to fall that far in the draft. He was always going to go in the top five, top 10 at most. He dominated the Big Ten in college and helped take the team to a national championship. Still, if he had landed in Washington, it’s fun to think about what might have been.
