Rising Star? Commanders OT Remains Bright Spot
The Washington Commanders may have landed a future star in offensive tackle Samuel Cosmi.
Cosmi was drafted by the Commanders with the 51st overall pick in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
In a recent ranking, Pro Football Focus designated Cosmi as the No. 7 most likely second-year player to make a jump into becoming a true star in the NFL.
Given his incredible physical toolset, it's no surprise that Cosmi was immediately able to produce for the team -- and that he's only projected to become better.
In his rookie season, Cosmi stood out as one of the best young offensive tackles in the league and was arguably the third-best rookie tackle behind stars Penei Sewell of the Detroit Lions and Rashawn Slater of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Due to encountering some early injury problems following a Week 5 ankle injury against the New Orleans Saints, leading to four missed games, and a Week 11 hip injury that landed him on injured reserve for the rest of the season, Cosmi was only able to play nine games for the Washington.
In fact, in light of his excellent rookie season, a recent redraft actually had Cosmi as a first-round selection.
Coming out of college, Cosmi demonstrated fantastic physicals, such as agile feet and powerful hands. However, he did have significant concerns with unrefined footwork and general technique issues.
In just a single year with the Commanders, Cosmi has already shown improvement far beyond what many analysts thought was probable. If Cosmi continues to improve at the same pace, he may very well become the next great Washington offensive tackle.
