New year, new draft position for the Washington Football Team.
Following a Wild Card round loss, Washington officially received the No. 19 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Its 7-9 record warrants a higher pick, but since it won the NFC East title and made the playoffs for the first time since 2015, it could not pick any higher than 19th.
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Here are all of Washington's picks in the 2021 NFL draft, which is scheduled for April 29 to May 1 in Cleveland. Specific slots will be announced at a later date.
- Round 1 (Pick 19)
- Round 2 (Pick 51)
- Round 3 (Pick 74): from the San Francisco 49ers
- Round 3 (Pick 82)
- Round 4 (Pick 124)
- Round 5 (Pick 163)
- Round 7 (Pick 246)
- Round 7 (Pick 258): from the Miami Dolphins
NOTES:
- Washington collected an extra third-round pick by trading tackle Trent Williams to the San Francisco 49ers last April. Washington also received a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, which it used to select offensive lineman Keith Ismael.
- Washington gave up its sixth-round pick in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders for David Sharpe and a seventh-round pick (244th overall). It then gave that selection to Miami for guard Ereck Flowers Sr. and the Dolphins' seventh-round pick (258th overall). Washington will pick twice in the seventh round for the second straight year. It added standout safety Kam Curl and versatile defensive lineman James Smith-Williams with those picks last year.
Based on how head coach Ron Rivera has structured Washington's culture, he'll expect these players to compete for immediate playing time.
Just look at last year's draft class, which includes Defensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner Chase Young (second overall), leading rusher Antonio Gibson (66th) and Curl (216th), the team's second-leading tackler. Its fourth-round picks, wide receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden and tackle Saahdiq Charles, were also in line for bigger roles before injuries derailed their rookie campaigns.
"We've got a good foundation," Rivera said in his final press conference of the 2020 campaign on Sunday. "We've got to add onto it, and we've got to strengthen it so as we go forward, we continue to get better."
