Commanders Head Coach Ron Rivera & GM Martin Mayhew give statements a few days before the draft (4-25-22)
Courtesy of Washington Commanders PR
On the difficulty of assessing the 11th pick:
RR: “I think it’s been hard just because you don’t know. We always have to react and being at 11, we obviously are gonna react to what the first 10 teams do in front of us. It’s almost unpredictable just because like you said, it’s not one of those drafts where you sit there and say these are the guys, so we’re just gonna react I think.”
MM: “Yeah. Yeah. It’s somewhat difficult at 11. Then this draft in particular, I think there’s a really, really good middle to this draft. The middle starts pretty quickly. We’ve done a lot of work over the last couple of weeks. I can’t say enough about the great job that [Director of College Personnel] Tim Gribble, [Director of Player Personnel] Eric Stokes and [Senior Vice President, Football/Player Personnel] Marty [Hurney] have done in preparation and getting ready in our area guys. We will be ready without question.
On guys with medical questions:
RR: “You know, that’s a big part of, one of the things that we review obviously is, is the medical history as to what’s happened. But a lot of things that you do rely on and you should rely on is really their body of work and what they’ve put on tape. For those guys that haven’t really been able to time or anything like that, that’s when you gotta spend an inordinate and amount of time talking with them and really interviewing them as much as you can try and gather as much information as possible. I think that’s probably the biggest thing. I think a lot of it, we project on what we’ve seen on tape and whatever they can do right now. “
MM: “Yeah. A lot of it goes back to our experience with different types of injuries. And in this situation here, you know, we have a new trainer now, Al Bellamy. A good friend of mine, he was here when I was here as a player. And I worked with him in Detroit. The experience of your training staff and your medical staff is really important. It comes into play there in trying to decide how to decipher how soon a guy’s gonna be ready, how extensive an injury history that a guy has. I think we’re in good hands with our group of guys. Our doctors are very experienced and been on it for a long time and Al’s been doing it for a long time as well.”
On if there has been more of a discussion on moving up and back with teams this year:
MM: “Yeah, I’ve made a lot of those calls over the last past weekend and starting today and just working through the league and talking to some other GM’s. There’s some interest there. There’s definitely some interest there moving both ways and talking to people who are in front of us and who are behind us. We just keep that dialogue going. It all depends on where you are that morning and where you are on the clock and who’s available to you. We definitely have started making those contacts and reaching out.”
On if there are certain positions you fill during the draft vs. free agency:
RR: “I don’t think there are. I, I think it’s really about trying to make sure we get the best players for the Commanders more so than anything else. I mean whether that person’s here already on the roster, we just develop them or you go out and get them in free agency or you go ahead and draft them. I think what we’re really trying to do is just find the best players that we believe help us.”
On if six picks is enough to fill the holes on the roster:
RR: “Well, I think if you end up with just six, then obviously we’ve gotta do some other things. If we’re able to get more than six, then it cuts down on what we’ve gotta chase afterwards. So, you know, we’re just gonna react to what happens more so than anything else. We can try and create some things as well. We have all our options are open and we still have a couple of days left.”
On the positional value of the Buffalo Nickel:
RR: “Well, you know, it is a valuable piece. It’s no different than the regular nickel, whether you call it the Buffalo Nickel or the Nickel, that can be the same guy. It’s just a matter of how you wanna play that defense. When we were in Carolina, we had a player that was a linebacker that played that spot for us. Last season, Landon Collins played that position for us and played it very well. There’s several players that fit that bill. They’re not just linebackers. We’re obviously looking at different possibilities wherever that player comes from and whatever position he comes we’ll believe that that’s the guy best suited to do it for us.”
On balancing the guys that are healthy versus the guys that can hit the ground running:
RR: “Well, I do expect us to take a step forward. I really do. I think we can be a much better football team than we were last season. The balance being obviously that when guys are ready to play they’ll play. And so in the meantime, they’re backups or the guys that are next to them, or behind them have to step up. And that’s just the way it is. I mean, we’ve got some pretty good young guys that have played a lot of football already. It’s an opportunity for them to take a step because of the growth they had last season. I mean there are several guys that I was really thrilled that they played as much as they did. Look at the offensive line. I felt great about what we got from [Center] Keith [Ismael] and [Tackle] Saadhiq [Charles]. I thought those two young guys really took advantage of it. [Tight End] John [Bates] did a great job at tight end for us. That was exciting to see. We had some growth you saw at wide receiver. I think that those two guys, [Wide Receiver’s] Dyami [Brown] and Dax [Milne] are two young guys that can add to what we’re trying to do. Loved the step that AG [Running Back Antonio Gibson] took at running back. The defensive side, the same way. There’s young guys that played a lot of football that you feel that they grew and they can contribute. And so that’s pretty exciting.”
On WR Terry McLaurin’s contract:
MM: “Yeah, we’ve had dialogue with Terry and his agent. Have great respect for both of those men. We’re really excited about the opportunity to have Terry continue with us for a long time. So we we’re working on that. Won’t get much into detail about what’s going on there, but we have been having dialogue.”
RR: “And whether this is done or not in the next few days or afterwards is not going to affect what we’re thinking about in the draft one way or the other.”
On being quiet in free agency:
RR: “Well, coming into this, this off season, Martin will tell you one of the things that we sat down and we had a plan mapped out as far as taking a look at these quarterbacks coming in to the draft, but after having gotten the opportunity to have [Quarterback] Carson [Wentz] become part of our football team, obviously we had to reassess and reevaluate and kind of put a new plan together as to what we can and can’t do, especially with free agency. So it did have an impact on us, and it did change our point of viewon some things, obviously, because of the cap.”
On the approach on day two and day three this year versus previous seasons:
MM: “Yeah. Well, it just means that there’re gonna be a lot of really good players. We think in the middle rounds for the second, third, fourth, fifth, they’re gonna be starters, I think, going into the third and fourth round here in this draft. There’s opportunity for us there. We have six picks now. I doubt we’ll end this draft with those same six picks. I believe they’ll be some movement whether up and back up or back in those rounds, in those middle rounds. So, there’s just a lot of really good talented players in that middle that haven’t been there in the past. And I think there are a couple different things that have been factors with that happening. One is the COVID year. A lot of guys came back to school and played one more year. And two I think is the NIL’s where some guys are now staying in longer, but then, guys are coming out now who would’ve come out last year, but didn’t so they’re a lot, it’s a lot deeper draft I think this year.
On how WR Curtis Samuel coming back impacts the draft:
RR: “I don’t think it does. I mean, again, we’ve have to continue as we go through the process of the draft, what happens in front of us, what happens in each round. You know, those are things that really dictate and indicate really what you’re thinking and where you’re going.”
On how DE Chase Young looks:
RR: “Well, he has been doing real well. He is here today again and it’s a great sight to see. Got an opportunity to spend a little time with him andhe’s fired up. He’s really focused in, and he’s attacking his rehab. I think, as Martin alluded to earlier, an opportunity for him to meet Al and listen to Al Bellamy and listen to his plan and how he’s mapped things out. And then, you know, working with the folks we have down in the training room has been really good. I mean, this past week and now heading into this week is an exciting time. We’ve had very good part participation this year. We really have, and it’s really cool to see all the players that are here and watching them work out.”
On DE Chase Young return date from his ACL injury:
RR: “No, we’re not going to put a time limit on anybody’s injuries. All we can tell you is that he’s doing exactly needs to do.”
On if they had shift in philosophy about trading down since they came into the league:
MM: “I don’t think so. From my standpoint, it’s all about who’s there when you’re on the clock, and it’s about, can you go back to a point and still get a player who you really have conviction on? And that’s the way we’re going to look at it this year as well. We’re at 11, and we’ll see how things fall. If there’s a guy there at 11 that we really have conviction on, feel really strongly about, then we’ll take that player. If we think we can go back a few spots and still get one of the players, if we feel really strongly about them, we will definitely explore that.”
RR: “I think the biggest thing more than anything else. And, you know, you brought it up in your question is that the board will dictate.”
On what parts of the draft process they have tweaked in year two of being together:
RR: “Well, I think for the most part, we’re pretty much doing the things that we did last year. Just everybody being more comfortable with the process has been a pretty good situation for us. You know, we have continued conversations just like we did last year. We’d done an awful lot of the evaluation work that we’ve needed to do, and we’ve set the board last Friday and we continue to discuss the board and options and opportunities as they arise.”
On having a normal draft cycle without being impacted by COVID-19:
MM: “It’s been great. We’ve had a really good process again as coach just said this year as well. But no, it’s good to have a complete season to look at players and to evaluate players. It’s good to be in person and talking to guys in person and and not on these zooms. And we did some zooms with a few players, but we’ve had our 30 visits and had up opportunity to spend hours with guys where they come up throughout the entire building, spend time with the coaching staff, with the scouting staff, with our player engagement people. So, we have a really good feel for guys when you get to spend time with them in person. So that’s really been helpful I think. I’m glad that we’re out of the COVID drafts.”
On what the phone call is like to the players being drafted:
RR: “Well, I think it’s a real neat process first and foremost, because as we go through the decision-making process, we’ll pull the names that we have in that cluster of guys. We’ll discuss all those guys and then we’ll decide on it. And as we’re getting ready to send the name in, then we call the player just before we send the name in, just to make sure we actually got a body ready to roll. We’ll talk to the player and then we’ll tell ’em, Hey, we turn your name in, keep watching the TV. If he’s, at home watching it on TV and they’re gonna announce you as the next Washington Commander. And last year we did it. The one that sticks out the most to me was [OT] Sam Cosmi. He was with a group of his family and friends and you could hear the excitement on the other end. So it’s really the whole process because it is kind of a life altering announcement and it’s something that impacts the young man and impacts the franchise as well.”
On how adding QB Carson Wentz to the roster affects what you do in the draft:
RR: “I believe it’ll grow a little bit more because you know, Carson does have a couple more tools that [QB] Taylor [Heinicke] doesn’t have. Taylor’s a very efficient quarterback that handles things very well and he brings some excitement to it. You look at what Carson can do in terms of some of the other throws that he makes that are pretty dynamic. It does have add a whole new element to what we want to do offensively as far as complimentary football goes. And you know well the first thing too, and this is one thing I think everybody can understand. We talk about this, and this is something that we discuss going into this and that is, we have a guy like Carson you gotta be able to protect him. But then you do gotta put a dynamic playmaker around him. So we’ll go into this draft with that mantra, that mindset that if you can’t get one to make sure we get the other to help him. As far as complimentary goes, it’s one of those things that with a guy like that, and we saw that during that four game stretch between Tampa Bay and Vegas what we’re capable of. You get a lead and how you can play a certain way. And if we can get leads like that and we can cut that pass rush loose, and really just get into to a one dimensional game on the defensive side, it’s a different style of football.”
On if there are positions in the middle rounds that you could still find potential starters:
MM: “Yeah, there are, but I really don’t want to get into those. But yeah sure every year you’re going to find certain spots where you feel it’s really deep and you feel like there’s some guys that you identify that could be in the third or fourth round. It could be major contributors for you and this year it’s no different. I mean, there are a couple groups, and we can talk about it on Sunday after we get done. But there are some groups where we feel there is a lot of depth.”
On QB Carson Wentz adapting to the leadership role:
RR: “It’s been kind of cool. We have seen him interact with his teammate’s and interacting with the coaches as well. Like I said, he’s got you know a different skill set and it’s interesting to watch this guy’s reaction. He’s reached out to a lot of ’em about throwing extra stuff like that and, and those guys have all responded in a positive fashion. It’s kind of created that vibe that you’re looking for and you’re hoping for and you feel good about it you really do. And there is some optimism, obviously just walking around the building.”
On how WR Curtis Samuel looks:
RR: “Good. It’s good to see him here. We haven’t been able to go out on the field and watch these guys work yet, you know, by rule, but just listening to what the strength and conditioning guys are telling us about him coming in and looking really good, moving around really well. We do get to watch the workout stuff that we do get to video and when you do see him moving around, you feel pretty confident about it.”
On WR Curtis Samuel and TE Logan Thomas impacting the need to get a dynamic playmaker in the draft:
RR: “I don’t think it necessarily impacts it. Would it be a luxury thing, stuff like that? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, again, we expect Logan to be back ready to roll at some point next season. Looking forward to having him back on the football field for what he means to us. And, you know, we continue with Curtis and keep getting him stronger and healthy and ready to roll. It could be exciting. It could be fun. But you know, we’re going to address this as we go through the draft on what player that’s available we feel can impact us.”
On QB Carson Wentz performing well with bigger receivers and the likelihood of adding size to that group:
RR: ”I Think it’s circumstance, you know. I think it’s just a matter of who he’s throwing the ball to. I kind of like the guys we have, I think we have some guys that most certainly are big targets and we have some shorter targets. I think with the ball in their hands, we’ve got some pretty dynamic guys.”
On his reaction to the passing of Dwayne Haskins Jr.:
RR:” Just shock and disbelief and just a feeling of sorrow. You know, Dwayne was a solid young man who had a big heart and it’s very unfortunate.”
On if he was involved earlier with the draft than usual:
RR: “Oh, yeah. As soon as we finished all the reviews this year, probably the third week of January, I went from a top 100 to a top 150 in terms of players to watch. And I started, like I said, at January and pretty much through that. And I end up watching probably on the average four to five games per player. But starting as early as I did was a big change. Typically, I don’t get started till right around the combine. And like I said, it started much earlier this year and its very time consuming, obviously, you know, watching the tapes, talking about the players, watching more tape or going back and watching tape, um, looking at the combine stuff that we got. Looking at some of these guys pro days on tape, you know, stuff that normally, you know, not doing that, not having that response, but I wouldn’t have done.
On if that is something they did in 2020 as well:
RR: “Well, 2020 we really didn’t get to do as much just because of the whole fact that COVID hit right at about that time. So, we were pretty much confined to the tape. We did get the Combine stuff initially and the interviews initially, but we didn’t have the 30 visits. We didn’t have the opportunity to go out and watch players workout, so that was limited. What you really watched was mostly game tape, the tapes from the bowl games that they played in, the Senior Bowl games that they played in. Then from that point, everything else we did was on Zoom. We interviewed on Zoom. We had our draft meetings on Zoom and in all honesty, what [former Vice President of Player Personnel] Kyle Smith did during that period was pretty doggone good.”
On if he feels like he has the pieces to continue to play three safeties at the same time:
RR: “I’ll say this, I think the intent is to continue to develop the Buffalo defense that we had more so than anything else. Again, like I said when we were in Carolina, we had a linebacker play that position. This past year, we had [S] Landon [Collins] play in that position.”
On how many first round grades they had on players this year:
RR: “Oh, we had several, we did. There’s some solid players out there, and again, as I said, the biggest thing we gotta understand is that we’re just gonna react to what happens in the first 10 picks and then we’ll go from there.”
On how they balance need vs. best player available:
MM: “Yeah, well I think it’s sort of a sliding scale a lot of times. If you look at early in the draft where you really have to be right, have to be a hundred percent right, you really wanna take the best player you can take for the most part. Need comes into play obviously, but I think you lean more toward best player. Later in the draft you’re trying to fill needs, you get into the sixth, seventh round, you don’t have enough of a certain position or whatever. You’re more likely to tilt it a little bit more toward need. It’s a sliding scale. I think each situation is a little bit different. For us, we’re gonna make the best decision for us as an organization in all those picks this year.”
On the differences between finding a QB1 and adding a third quarterback to the room:
RR: “Probably the biggest thing, obviously that did change was the important significance of drafting a quarterback high. We did a lot of work on that leading up to that point. We got pretty good knowledge on these guys coming out, but we’d love to get one somewhere in the draft. Yeah, if the the opportunity arises and the right guys there. Yeah, we could. If not, we obviously have to look at other directions after the draft, but we would like to make sure we have at least three going into camp.”
On if there are different traits they look for in a QB1 vs. a third quarterback added to the room:
RR: “You’re looking for a guy that for the most part is gonna be able to learn and retain. You see it mostly with veteran guys, some guys don’t need a lot of work and then go out and play. And we saw that with [QB] Taylor [Heinicke] last year and in the 2020 season, he didn’t need a lot of work. He just needed to know the gameplan. He went out and just did his job. That’s what we really appreciate about him. I had a guy [QB] Derek Anderson in Carolina, he didn’t need a lot of snaps. But, as you look at these young guys, and one of the things that’s really important is when we do interview these guys, when we did have ’em in the room at the Combine, you try to find out what their knowledge of football is and whether or not you think it’ll come easy for him and naturally for him. Because at some point, if he has to assume that backup role, he is not gonna get a lot of reps. He’s gonna have to be able to understand, learn and grow quickly and so that’s part of what you’re looking for. I mean, most of these guys will come in with skillsets that obviously need to be honed and worked on. But, the biggest thing is the mental aspect, how much do they know, how quickly will they learn and how much are they gonna retain.”
On if never drafting a cornerback in the first round in Carolina was more of a coincidence or a philosophy:
RR: “I think it’s kind of a coincidence thing more than anything else. I will say this, in Carolina in my nine seasons there, we never had the same secondary. We never started with the same four guys.”
On how much he values the size of a wide receiver during his evaluations:
MM: “I think it’s about getting the most talented guy, and everybody brings something different to the table. It’s about guys fitting us and fitting what we try to do offensively and guys having the most ability. Size comes into play obviously, but I think it’s more about talent.”
On why he started evaluations earlier this year:
RR: “Well, we did because obviously going into it, thinking about the quarterback position and wanting to make sure that these guys are given their time. I probably, on average, as far as that group was concerned, probably watched six to seven games each. It’s a very arduous process just because you’ve gotta be detailed when you’re watching these guys. I think back to when I was in Carolina, we drafted [QB] Cam [Newton]. Back then I can honestly tell you, I watched every one of his snaps. I watched every game he played in, watched all of his throws, watched all of his completions, watched all of his incompletions, all of his touchdowns, all of his interceptions. I even went back and watched some of his junior college tape when he was at Blinn [College]. So, just kind of reflecting, knowing that at that point we were considering obviously drafting a quarterback high, you had to be right. So, we started on that and going all the way up until we got to the Combine and then just after it when we made the deal for Carson [Wentz], then obviously my focus changed. At that time, I had moved on to a couple other positions because I’d finished the quarterbacks, but that was a big part of the reason starting as early as I did last year or in this past January.”
On if he would have liked to have more consistency in his secondary in Carolina:
RR: “I’d love to have the consistency. But with the way things are with the salary cap and players contracts expiring, stuff like that and getting into free agency, it’s difficult. It is and that was one of the positions we just weren’t able to keep guys at.”
On if doing all of that homework on the quarterbacks helps now as they’re getting ready to head into the Draft:
RR: “It does because you have a frame of reference. You feel pretty good about them. You really do. There were several of them that you like, and in my mind’s eye, I have a guy that I would think about, that if we were still in that position that I would most certainly have considered early.
