The Commanders Have a Date With the SEC's Leading WR Leading Up to the NFL Draft

The Washington Commanders have done plenty to fill their roster holes this offseason, but one area that has yet to be addressed is who will fill the second wide receiver role opposite star veteran Terry McLaurin for quarterback Jayden Daniels.

The Commanders have added the likes of Dyami Brown and Van Jefferson to the room, but they aren't expected to be the level of player that can give the team the production it needs from the position.

The NFL Draft will be the perfect opportunity for general manager Adam Peters to fill the void, and he could do so with 2025 Biletnikoff Award Semifinalist and Tennessee Volunteers' WR Chris Brazzell II, as they are set to host him on a top-30 visit this week.

Chris Brazzell II the Unicorn

Brazell has emerged as one of the most physically imposing wide receivers in the NFL Draft. After spending his first two seasons at Tulane, he transferred to Tennessee, where he went through a transition year before going for over 1,000 receiving yards – the only WR in the SEC (South Eastern Conference) to do so – and nine touchdowns to earn him All-SEC First Team honors.

Tennessee Volunteers WR Chris Brazzell I — Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Chris Brazzell II (17) Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

At six-foot-five with a 4.37 40-yard dash, Brazzell has elite stacking ability, a nice twitch and hip fluidity, which is rare for someone of his size and length, and of course an elite catch radius thanks to his massive wingspan, making him an excellent red zone threat.

Drops were a concern entering his senior season with the Vols, but in 2025, he only had two, decreasing his drop rate from 17% to 3.2%. While there is much to like about Brazzell, he will need to bulk up to play through press-man coverage at the NFL level, grow his route-tree complexity, which could lead to a steep learning curve, and be a bit more consistent with 50/50 balls given his size advantage.

Projecting to the Commanders

Brazzell has been seen as a potential early to mid-second-rounder in pre-draft mocks and rankings. If that is the case, the Commanders won't likely have the opportunity to grab him unless they can acquire more draft capital via trade.

Nonetheless, the Commanders are doing their due diligence and seem very intrigued by the opportunity to draft the promising wideout.

If the Commanders were to get Brazzell, he would be an almost perfect fit with McLaurin, who is more of a route runner with exceptional hands and playmaking ability.