Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Commanders Face Pair of No. 1 Picks Sunday vs. Jaguars
The Washington Commanders are set to face the last two top overall picks when the Jacksonville Jaguars come to town this weekend.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence dipped his toes in the NFL waters last season, but defensive end Travon Walker is set to make his league debut.
For Lawrence, he's also looking at this year being a fresh start for him. The team overhauled its coaching staff over the offseason, hiring former Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson to lead the ship.
Facing a team with new looks and minimal film can be challenging for a team, but defensive coordinator (and former Jaguars head coach) Jack Del Rio has a method behind the tough task.
"To me, I don't think you look back on last year and draw a lot of conclusions, whether it be from them or from us," Del Rio said. It's a new year, new opportunities."
A new year and new opportunity for the Commanders to build a different culture, but Del Rio says the unknowns force the team to stick to what it knows.
"You stick to your principles and trust what you know. Play fast and go to the next play. That's how we're gonna approach it.”
That's all you can do when facing players who have little to zero NFL film, but offensive coordinator Scott Turner shared his analysis when studying Lawrence.
“Big, talented quarterback," Turner said. "Big arm to make all the throws. Athletic guy that can move around. One of the many talented quarterbacks we'll face.”
When it comes to Walker, it's a little more difficult because his first NFL film will come Sunday during the live game, but Del Rio shared how the team has been preparing for the No. 1 overall pick.
“We looked back at his film from college, we looked at the preseason stuff. Obviously when you get picked first it's for a reason," Del Rio said. "A very physically imposing guy that can play against both the run and the pass. Our guys got to be ready, you know, we'll have a plan for him and we got to block him."
The Jaguars qualifying for the No. 1 pick the past two years is a sign of weakness. No team has performed worse than Jacksonville in the last two seasons, but being at the top of the draft shows that talent is on the way. And with a new season and new opportunity, the Commanders have to look at the opponent in front of them and not focus on what they did in the past.
The Jaguars and Commanders kick off at 1 p.m. Sunday.
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