Painful Commanders draft blunder is still being dissected four years later

When the Washington Commanders traded up to No. 225 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, fans were hoping for one name and one name only. But as was typically the case when previous head coach Ron Rivera called the shots, he threw a curveball into the mix.

A decision that's still haunting the Commanders to this day.

The best prospect available at the time, by a considerable margin, was Trey Smith. He was projected as a first or second-round talent, but a health issue during his pre-draft assessments caused him to tumble down the pecking order. But in the sixth round, it represented a risk well worth taking.

Rivera moved up, which meant he had a target in mind and was willing to sacrifice additional assets to get them on board. Instead of Smith, who was the expected choice, he went with long-snapper Camaron Cheeseman instead.

Smith went one pick later to the Kansas City Chiefs. The interior offensive lineman's been making the Commanders and everyone else around the league pay for it ever since.

Commanders' decision to pick Camaron Cheeseman over Trey Smith still haunts fans

As Smith won Super Bowls and became one of the league's best right guards, Cheeseman foundered. He's now out of the league, which was a microcosm of Rivera's woeful draft board management during his four years at the helm.

Damian Parson from The Bleacher Report unsurprisingly listed Smith among his best steals from the 2021 NFL Draft class four years on. How things would have been different for the Commanders if they'd gone down this route.

"[Trey] Smith brought his physical style of play from the Saturday wars in the SEC. He helped revitalize the interior offensive line protection for Mahomes and added a punch to the Chiefs' rushing attack. Finding quality role players and depth pieces for your roster in the sixth round is one thing, but adding a bona fide starting guard is a different story. Smith is an important piece of the Chiefs' offensive line, and they’ll need him to make it out of the AFC again this season. "

Damian Parson

One could argue that everything worked out. Sam Cosmi transitioned to right guard seamlessly. A torn ACL aside, it's been a roaring success. That doesn't detract from what a major draft blunder this was from Rivera's perspective.

There's nothing the Commanders can do now. Rivera is gone, and the team is in the early stages of a prosperous new era under a regime that looks far more competent. And almost every draft mistake made by the previous decision-maker is long gone.

Everyone's hesitancy was the Chiefs' gain. But under Adam Peters, these grave errors of judgment are firmly in the rearview mirror.