Another draft is in the books for Ron Rivera and the Washington Commanders, and soon there will be another group of young players on the roster eager to prove themselves as they start their NFL careers.
Starting with first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes, who the Commanders took because of his game-changing ability as well as his knack for scoring defensive touchdowns, Washington drafted a total of seven players -- four on defense and three on offense. Many of the players several years of starting experience under their belts, and some are set to have an immediate impact on the roster.
In a recent interview with Logan Paulsen and Fred Smoot on "Command Center," Rivera explained what he saw in each pick. Here's a look at what he had to say:
In a recent interview with Logan Paulsen and Fred Smoot on "Command Center," Rivera explained what he saw in each pick. Here's a look at what he had to say.
"Heck of a football player, a takeaway machine. When you study him, watch his play, watch the way he does things, first and foremost, he studies the opponent, good understanding of his opponent, and anticipates very, very well. Tremendous ball skills, and a guy that seems to be able to see through the receiver to the quarterback and have a feel for when to be able to make his move."
-- Ron Rivera
"Quan's a heck of a football player. Played some very good football at the University of Illinois. Very disciplined football player, but has position flex. And what he can do for you is he can play free safety, be in the post, be in the half, be in the quarter, and keep the ball in front of him."
-- Ron Rivera
!["He's a very bright football player. Very smart, very intelligent guy. When he came in and sat down with our offensive coaches and [Eric Bieniemy] especially, and they talked football, he could regurgitate a lot of things that Eric said to him, but he could also talk about the things that they did. Very knowledgable in terms of that. That really impressed our coaches."
-- Ron Rivera](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/private/t_new_photo_album_2x/t_lazy/f_auto/redskins/d9bp9pkf8ysd0kto1sfv.jpg)
"He's a very bright football player. Very smart, very intelligent guy. When he came in and sat down with our offensive coaches and [Eric Bieniemy] especially, and they talked football, he could regurgitate a lot of things that Eric said to him, but he could also talk about the things that they did. Very knowledgable in terms of that. That really impressed our coaches."
-- Ron Rivera
"You're getting a guy that has the ability to be a right tackle, a left tackle or a guard. He's got position flex, he's young and he's a guy that we can develop and work with over the next couple of years."
-- Ron Rivera
!["KJ's a guy that can come off the edge, and at the same time, he can stand up, be in the two-point [stance] ... He drops well into coverage, but one thing he does is his pass rush. Here's a young man that didn't get a lot of credit...because of the guys that were lining up next to him. He's a guy that has a real nice arm, but then he comes up and collapses it underneath with a good counter."
-- Ron Rivera](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/private/t_new_photo_album_2x/t_lazy/f_auto/redskins/w2yuuez7zhy2elv5c7m3.jpg)
"KJ's a guy that can come off the edge, and at the same time, he can stand up, be in the two-point [stance] ... He drops well into coverage, but one thing he does is his pass rush. Here's a young man that didn't get a lot of credit...because of the guys that were lining up next to him. He's a guy that has a real nice arm, but then he comes up and collapses it underneath with a good counter."
-- Ron Rivera
"He's a big, physical guy. What he can do is he's a downhill runner. He's a one-cut guy, put his foot in the ground and get into that crease and blow some things up inside. He has enough speed and quickness to bust it outside and turn the corner, but we also like his ability to step up and become a pass protector."
-- Ron Rivera
"When you watch the things that he does, he's explosive, he's dynamic, comes off the ball very hard as a blitzer. But...there is some versatility to his game where he may stack up a little bit and play some inside. This is a guy that we're gonna be able to move around and do different things with."
