Teams usually use the second round of the NFL Draft to select players expected to start or have a significant role in their respective offense or defense. Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew appear to have a different concept.
Rivera’s latest comments about safety Quan Martin suggested the Commanders don’t know what to do with second-round picks.
Through four games, Martin has not played a single defensive snap. Martin missed one game due to a concussion. But when he is healthy, Martin has been relegated to special teams.
Rivera elaborated that Martin is behind “good players” in the safety position.
Why the Commanders draft a safety they didn’t need?
The Commanders are starting Kam Curl, the highest coverage safety by Pro Football Focus in 2022, and Darrick Forrest. Last year’s fourth-round pick Percy Butler has received snaps in nickel and dime situations. Even special teams captain Jeremy Reaves appears ahead of Martin on the depth chart.
With that said, why did the Commanders waste a second-round pick on a safety they didn’t need?
Martin was one of the highly-touted safeties in the 2023 NFL Draft. His talent and potential signaled he was a Day 1 starter. Yet, Rivera and Mayhew selected the Illinois product to be a rotational player. Martin may be an insurance policy if the team doesn’t re-sign Curl. Curl is a free agent after the season. But wasn’t Butler supposed to be that?
Commanders history shows consistent whiffs in the second round
Rivera and the Commanders franchise have a habit of wasting second-round picks. I wrote about it last month, highlighting last year’s pick defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis. Mathis has appeared in one regular season game that he did not finish.
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In 2022, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the season opener. This year, he suffered a calf injury in the first preseason game that landed him on injured reserve.
Mathis got selected to be a rotational defensive tackle and an insurance policy for Daron Payne. Payne had his best season during a contract year, earning him a $90 million, four-year extension this offseason. The Commanders already have Jonathan Allen signed to a big deal.
Defensive tackle is the least of the Commanders’ worries.
Whiffs with second-round picks date back to the previous regime for the Commanders. Fans remember the drops with Su’a Cravens, Derrius Guice, and Ryan Anderson.
Commanders could have used the pick on the offensive line
But Martin’s situation is different. Washington drafted a safety it most likely had no intentions of playing right away and did so with glaring holes along its offensive line.
Sure, second-year quarterback Sam Howell holds the ball long, but there isn’t a stud player along the offensive line paid to protect him. The offensive line is a hodge-podge, which is significantly why he is the most sacked QB this season.
Washington’s right tackle Andrew Wylie, the team’s big free agent pickup this past offseason, has struggled mightily.
Meanwhile, Martin is one of three second-round picks from this year’s draft yet to play an offensive or defensive snap. One player is on injured reserve. The other, Will Levis, is a quarterback.
Martin has potential. He could be a contributor down the road. But while Howell is running for his football life, Martin represents a missed opportunity that could help the team this season.
It’s hard to imagine a coaching and front office regime that is on the hot seat took a potential hit over a player that could have served best for the team right away.
