For a team like the Washington Commanders, the NFL Draft may be the most important event of the year. The Commanders have been mired in mediocrity for a while now, hovering around the .500 mark in each of the last three seasons. Good drafting is absolutely critical to teams in this position, as it can be the difference between staying in mediocrity or breaking free of it.

In recent years, Washington has actually done pretty well at drafting in the first round. Sure, the Commanders haven't been perfect in the first round, but they've landed studs like Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and Brandon Scherff over the last decade. Getting another player on those guys' caliber would be a huge win for a team that really needs it.

To do so, the Commanders must carefully choose who to target in the upcoming draft. However, we've already covered players they should pick, so what about the ones they shouldn't? That's exactly what we're going to be doing in this article.

Before we start, though, there's an important disclaimer to get out of the way; it is not a shot at certain players if they appear on this list, as almost any player can succeed in the right situation. Rather, this is just saying that Washington and these players don't mesh very well, so this isn't their “right situation.”

Now that we've covered that, though, here are two players the Commanders should avoid selecting in the 2023 NFL Draft.

 2. Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa

Most mock drafts seem to predict that the Commanders will take a corner in the first round, and that makes a ton of sense. Their cornerback room has next to no depth behind Kendall Fuller, and desperately needs an upgrade soon. Christian Gonzalez, Devon Witherspoon, Joey Porter Jr. and Deonte Banks, widely considered the four best corners in the draft, have all appeared as possible options for the Commanders. No matter who of those four they pick, though, they will likely be getting an impact player to shore up a weak spot on the defense.

On the contrary, Washington's defensive line is the clear strong spot of the defense. The Commanders used first-round picks on defensive linemen in four straight drafts from 2017 to 2020, and they now have one of the scariest lines in the league. Allen, Payne and Montez Sweat are all proven stars, while Chase Young can get there if he rebounds from injury.

With that knowledge, why on Earth would it make sense to use yet another first-rounder on a defensive lineman? Trick question, it doesn't. Especially when the Commanders will likely have to choose between Sweat and Young soon due to salary cap constraints.

Of course, Lukas Van Ness isn't on this list because he's a bad player; he's high on draft boards for a reason. He has 13.5 sacks in two seasons and has outstanding physique, which should allow him to thrive in the NFL. That's great, but he'd just be redundant on Washington's current roster. This feels like a luxury pick for a team that is absolutely not in position to make one.

1. Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee

For a while, the top four quarterbacks in the draft have stood head and shoulders above the others in mock drafts, and that's still true to an extent. However, Hendon Hooker has started showing up in the first round of more and more mock drafts lately. Whether or not Hooker is worthy of a first-round pick is debatable, but the Commanders probably shouldn't be the ones to make him one.

Washington has been strongly backing Sam Howell as their starter in 2023, and they also signed Jacoby Brissett in free agency. Having these two doesn't automatically rule them out from taking a quarterback in the first round, as we can all agree that this quarterback room isn't the most impressive.

However, it doesn't seem particularly likely that they will add another quarterback in the draft considering that they have more pressing needs on the roster. That is especially true for Hooker, who is 25 years old and coming off an ACL tear in November.

Don't get me wrong, I love Hooker as a player. His story is so inspiring, and he became arguably the face of college football last season with his amazing plays. But it's impossible to deny that there are some serious concerns with him as a prospect.

The best course of action for the Commanders' is likely to see what they have in Howell, and if it doesn't work, try again next year. Drafting another quarterback, especially one in the first round, will likely not help his development at all. Hooker can absolutely succeed in the NFL, but Washington is far from the best fit for him.