The Washington Commanders have employed some of the best players in NFL history. Washington drafted some of those players, while others were drafted elsewhere, but enjoyed some good years with the Commanders/Redskins.
ESPN’s Ben Solak recently conducted a unique exercise, naming the best player ever selected at each draft slot from No. 1 to 262. Amazingly, there were 22 former Washington players — and one current player on Solak’s list. Of course, the current player in question is Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner, who was selected 47th overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2012 NFL draft. Wagner is entering his second season with Washington, having earned a Pro Bowl nod and been named second-team All-Pro in 2024.
Highlighting the list for Washington was No. 18: Art Monk. Monk, of course, is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was a first-round pick by the Redskins in the 1980 NFL draft. When he retired, Monk was the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions.
Another prominent name was defensive end Charles Mann. A four-time Pro Bowler, Mann played 11 seasons for the Redskins and was also a key part of the Super Bowl championship teams.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins also made the list. Cousins was the No. 102 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. Regardless of what you think of Cousins, he still holds several Washington passing records and has easily outplayed his draft position.
Here’s the complete list:
- 5. Deion Sanders
- 7. Adrian Peterson
- 18. Art Monk
- 47. Bobby Wagner
- 72. Jeremiah Trotter
- 73. Jason Taylor
- 84. Charles Mann
- 99. Joe Theismann
- 102. Kirk Cousins
- 115. Larry Centers
- 118. Mark Brunell
- 139. Harold McClinton
- 143. Josh Norman
- 197. Gus Frerotte
- 201. Ray Brown
- 207. Jessie Armstead
- 214. Ken Houston
- 222. Trent Green
- 227. Brad Johnson
- 231. Darryl Grant
- 234. Will Montgomery
- 246. Charles Leno
- 250. Ryan Fitzpatrick
Most of these players weren’t selected by Washington. Some of the players on this list were Hall of Famers (Deion Sanders, Monk, Jason Taylor, Ken Houston), or will be (Wagner and Adrian Peterson). Some were disastrous short-term pickups (Sanders, Taylor, Trotter, Armstead), while others thrived (Theismann, Houston, Brad Johnson) in the burgundy and gold. Peterson was outstanding in his two seasons with the Redskins, rushing for almost 2,000 yards late in his career.
Several quarterbacks made this list, most notably Cousins and Theismann. Brad Johnson, Trent Green, Gus Frerotte and Mark Brunell all started numerous games for Washington. Fitzpatrick started one game and was lost for the season. Johnson should’ve been Washington’s quarterback for years, but Dan Snyder’s involvement led Johnson to depart and help lead the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win.
Peyton Manning was named the best No. 1 pick of all time, with Giants star Lawrence Taylor as the best No. 2 pick ever.