Four Years Deep: Re-Evaluating the 2022 Commanders Draft Haul

Only two players remain. Look back at how Ron Rivera’s desperate search for draft capital doomed the Washington Commanders' foundational 2022 draft.

Apr 28, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson is announced as the sixteenth overall pick to the Washington Commanders by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft at the NFL Draft Theater. Mandatory Credit: Gary Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Ron Rivera era will not be remembered fondly by historians. While the coach was a highly liked, well-respected individual, Rivera walked into a situation in Washington that was just not normal. Beyond the culture issues and the painstaking name-change situation, when Rivera arrived in town, the idea was "grown folks are now in control." The dynamic worked at first; players bought into the plan, but ultimately Rivera could never build a championship defense or find a franchise quarterback. That inability to build is the focus of this post today as we look back at the 2022 NFL Draft.

The 2022 NFL Draft was the first official event for the newly rebranded Washington Commanders. Holding the 11th pick of the night, the franchise was at a crossroads, with some trade offers on the side. The front office had previously sent a third-round pick to the Indianapolis Colts for quarterback Carson Wentz, leaving a hole in the stack for a draft team officials thought was deep in the middle rounds. That missing third-rounder led Rivera and company to make a trade with the New Orleans Saints. The trade had Washington sending the 11th pick in exchange for the 16th, 98th (3rd round), and 120th (round 4) picks. The Commanders ended up trading pick 120 for picks 144 and 149 (both in round 5). Carolina took LB Brandon Smith with pick 120. He has been on the Jets' practice squad for the last two years. The Saints selected Ohio State WR Chris Olave with the 11th pick. In 55 career games (44 starts), Olave has 291 catches for 3728 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Below is the list of how the 2022 NFL Draft played out for the Washington Commanders:

• Round 1, Pick 16: Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State
• Round 2, Pick 47: Phidarian Mathis, DT, Alabama
• Round 3, Pick 98: Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Alabama
• Round 4, Pick 113: Percy Butler, S, Louisiana
• Round 5, Pick 144: Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
• Round 5, Pick 149: Cole Turner, TE, Nevada
• Round 7, Pick 230: Chris Paul, G, Tulsa
• Round 7, Pick 240: Christian Holmes, CB, Oklahoma State

The Autopsy: Grading Washington’s 2022 Draft Class

In hindsight, this draft was a mess. Of course, it can't be stressed enough how much faith the team had in these picks at the time, and most experts rated the draft a B.

Moving down and drafting Penn State WR Jahan Dotson was viewed as a steal at the time, given that Washington ended up with Dotson, QB Sam Howell, and TE Cole Turner. Fast forward four years, and Olave has had over 1,000 yards in every season but one (he has had some concussion issues). Howell and Turner are both working on team number three: Howell with the Cowboys and Turner with the Dolphins. That brings us to Jahan Dotson, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles before the 2024 season, along with a fifth-round pick, in exchange for a third-round pick and two seventh-round picks. Dotson has yet to gain over 1000 yards in a single season and is now with his third team, the Atlanta Falcons. In 29 games (26 starts) in Washington, Dotson recorded 84 receptions for 1,041 yards and 11 touchdowns.

From there, Washington selected Alabama defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis, who was thought to complement Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne; the three already knew each other from playing together in college. Injuries hurt the start of Mathis' career: he tore his meniscus in his rookie year and missed the first seven games of his second season with a calf strain. He ended up playing in 23 games in Washington (0 starts), and registered 25 tackles, two for a loss, recovered one fumble, blocked a kick, and deflected a pass. The Washington Commanders waived Phidarian Mathis on December 28, 2024.

With the 98th pick in the third round, the Commanders selected Alabama RB Brian Robinson. The move was thought to be a home run at first, with Robinson looking to be a fit for Scott Turner's system. The problem, of course, was that Robinson was shot in the leg during a robbery/carjacking attempt in DC on August 28, 2022. He would go on to play in 12 games that year (9 starts), putting up 797 yards rushing with two touchdowns. Robinson was traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2026 sixth-round pick before the start of the 2025 season. That sixth-round pick the Commanders got in return turned out to be Michigan State center Matt Gulbin. In 41 games (37 starts), Brian Robinson Jr gained 2,329 yards rushing on 570 carries and had 15 touchdowns. He's currently with his third NFL team, the Atlanta Falcons.

With the 113th pick in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, Washington selected safety Percy Butler, who is still on the roster. Butler has been a great special-teams player who has done well filling in from time to time. In his 63 career games, he's started 19 times, has 136 total tackles, four for loss, 10 deflected passes, and one forced & recovered fumble.

With the 144th pick, the Commanders selected UNC quarterback Sam Howell. Howell's first pass in an actual game went for a touchdown. Truth is, Sam got caught in the middle of several things, including an NFL team desperate for a franchise QB, a coach trying to break out of mediocrity, and a coordinator hell-bent on proving himself. In the end, Sam started 18 games and passed for 4,115 yards and 22 touchdowns; the bad thing is he also threw 22 interceptions. In the end, Sam Howell was traded to the Seattle Seahawks along with a fourth-round pick (102nd overall) and a sixth-round pick (179th overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft, in exchange for a third-round pick (78th overall) and a fifth-round pick (152nd overall).

With their second fifth-round pick, five picks later (149th overall), the Commanders selected Nevada TE Cole Turner. Turner never really took off as the guy Ron Rivera and company wanted, partly because of badly timed injuries, and was released during final roster cuts before the 2025 season. In 22 games (3 starts), Turner had 13 catches for 143 yards and no touchdowns. He's currently with the Miami Dolphins, but also signed with the Titans in 2025 and played in one game.

The Commanders' first seventh-round pick (230th overall) was Tulsa guard Chris Paul. Paul is still on the roster, locked in a battle for the left guard spot. In 34 career games, he's started 23 times over the last four years, and had a pass block grade of 77.4 on PFF last season (ranked 6th among guards).

With their last seventh-round pick, Washington selected Oklahoma State cornerback Christian Holmes. Homes hasn't been in the NFL since Washington released him during the preseason in 2024. In 30 career games (2 starts), Holmes had 20 tackles, two fumble recoveries, one deflected pass, and a lot of special teams play.

Looking back on this draft, only two players remain: Percy Butler and Chris Paul. It's clearly an F. Ron Rivera will forever be remembered for this draft and how the tradeback to gain value once looked like a brilliant move, but turned out to be a disappointment. That's what happens when you're Riverboat Ron, you're in control, and your franchise is desperate for more draft capital. You take chances, and he did, and it is ultimately why Coach Rivera is no longer with the franchise.

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