Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez Solidifies Spot on Commanders NFL Draft Board
The Washington Commanders could use some more talent in the secondary, and many expect the team to address that in the upcoming NFL Draft.
One such prospect who has been a popular name in Commanders watercooler conversations is Oregon Ducks standout Christian Gonzalez.
But after his NFL Scouting Combine performance, he may not be that constant a name tied to the team anymore, because he may have elevated himself higher than Washington could go to get him.
And he leads off our list of winners from the defensive back group in Indianapolis.
Oregon Ducks CB Christian Gonzalez
Gonzalez didn't have a whole lot of room to climb necessarily, but he still elevated his draft stock by securing his spot on just about every big board in the league.
The only way at this point a team doesn't have him on their board is if they simply don't want to draft a cornerback.
In a passing league like the NFL, that's unlikely to be the case for any team.
Maryland Terrapins CB Deonte Banks
Banks is a prospect who started to climb our own list of desirable defensive backs shortly before heading to Indianapolis.
Coming out of it he's continuing to do just that because of his 98 athleticism score according to NFL.com, ranking first among all defensive backs at the combine.
Illinois Fighting Illini S Sydney Brown
The opinions on Brown's NFL potential are mixed, but everyone agrees he'll land with a team.
After a solid Senior Bowl week earlier, Brown followed up with some strong numbers in the broad jump and vertical, and ran a sub-4.5 40.
Brown projects best as a slot or box defender, but there are concerns about his size against the ever-growing field of towering tight ends in the NFL.
Still, he gave every team plenty to consider when turning on the tape to see how he may fit in their scheme.
Projections for the Commanders selecting a defensive back in the NFL Draft are as up and down as some of the evaluations.
And a lot of where Washington actually pulls the trigger will be based on how they project cornerback Benjamin St-Juste into the next season as well as how confident the team is in its starting safeties.
Regardless, there is some talent to be had up and down the board, and these three are the latest to remind everyone why they deserve to be on the Commanders' radar come April.
Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82 and on the Locked On Commanders podcast.
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