On Thursday, the Washington Commanders took their latest stab at finding a franchise quarterback when they selected LSU star and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels with the second pick of the NFL draft.
Daniels is the sixth quarterback selected in the first round by Washington in the Super Bowl era (since 1967) and the 14th in franchise history, according to Pro Football Reference. Here’s a look back at how Washington’s previous first-round quarterbacks fared — and the QBs the team should have selected instead.
2019: Dwayne Haskins
Washington Coach Jay Gruden and others in the front office didn’t want to take Haskins with the 15th pick, but they were overruled by owner Daniel Snyder, whose son attended Bullis School with the quarterback. Haskins started 13 games over two seasons in Washington before being released in December 2020. On April 9, 2022, he was hit by a dump truck and killed while trying to cross an interstate near the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., airport.
Advertisement
The QB they should have drafted: In a weak QB class, Gardner Minshew II is the only signal caller selected after Haskins who has made the Pro Bowl.
2012: Robert Griffin III
Washington traded a haul, including three first-round picks, to the St. Louis Rams to move up four spots and select Griffin No. 2 overall. The Heisman Trophy winner from Baylor had a record-setting rookie year, when he led Washington to its first NFC East title since 1999, but he was never the same after suffering a knee injury in the team’s first-round loss to fellow rookie quarterback Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. Griffin was released in 2016.
The QB they should have drafted: Wilson, a third-round pick.
2005: Jason Campbell
Washington selected cornerback Carlos Rogers with the ninth pick and Campbell, Rogers’s Auburn teammate, with pick No. 25, which they acquired from Denver in exchange for three future picks. Campbell, who was viewed as a project, started 52 games over four seasons with Washington, throwing 55 touchdown passes and 38 interceptions.
Advertisement
The QB they should have drafted: In hindsight, Washington should have taken Aaron Rodgers, who went one spot before Campbell, with the pick they used to select Rogers. No quarterback taken after Campbell had a better career than him.
2002: Patrick Ramsey
After Washington was unsuccessful in its bid to move up to draft Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington or Tennessee wide receiver Donte Stallworth, the team traded down twice and selected Tulane’s Ramsey with the final pick of the first round. “We think he’s got a chance to be a really fine young player,” Coach Steve Spurrier said. Ramsey started five games as a rookie and 19 more over the next three seasons before losing his job to Campbell.
The QB they should have drafted: Fourth-round pick David Garrard had a better career than Ramsey, but Washington didn’t miss out on much.
1994: Heath Shuler
For the first time in more than three decades, Washington selected a quarterback in the first round, using the No. 3 pick on Shuler, who shined in his final two seasons at Tennessee. Coming off a miserable 4-12 season, the franchise’s worst in 30 years, Washington was deciding between Shuler and Fresno State’s Trent Dilfer, who went No. 6 to the Buccaneers. First-year coach Norv Turner preferred Shuler, who started 13 games over three seasons in Washington and ultimately lost his job to Gus Frerotte, a seventh-round pick by Washington in the same draft.
Advertisement
The QB they should have drafted: Kurt Warner, who went undrafted out of Northern Iowa and was released by the Green Bay Packers during training camp before lighting up the Arena Football League.
1961: Norm Snead
Washington used the No. 2 pick on Snead, who starred at Wake Forest. “This boy Snead is 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and a boy the pros think can throw the ball,” The Post reported from the draft in Philadelphia, where running back Tommy Mason went first overall to the Vikings and a pair of Hall of Famers — linebacker Mike Ditka and cornerback Jimmy Johnson — went fifth and sixth. Snead played three seasons in Washington and made a pair of Pro Bowls before being traded to the Eagles for quarterback Sonny Jurgensen.
The QB they should have drafted: Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton, who was taken with the first pick of the third round by the Vikings.
1960: Richie Lucas
Lucas, who earned the nickname “Riverboat Richie” at Penn State for his daring style of play, was also a first-round pick in the newly formed AFL’s draft and surprised Washington by signing with the Bills. “I enjoy playing quarterback,” Lucas told The Post after making his decision. “As a first-year man with the pros I think I’ll have a better chance with a new team in a new league. I want to learn with the new guys. … It’s a big decision and a tough one. Who knows? I might be the loser in the long run.” Lucas appeared in 22 games for the Bills as a quarterback, safety and return man.
Advertisement
The QB they should have drafted: SMU’s Don Meredith, who went 32nd to the Bears and went on to make three Pro Bowls with the Cowboys.
1959: Don Allard
Rather than report to Washington after being drafted fourth overall, Allard, who starred at Boston College, signed a two-year contract with Ottawa of the Canadian Football League. “Allard’s not so good that we’re especially worried about losing him,” Washington owner George Preston Marshall said.
The QB they should have drafted: Future Washington defensive coordinator Richie Petitbon, who converted from quarterback, which he played at Tulane, to safety after the Bears selected him in the second round.
1955: Ralph Guglielmi
“It’s a miracle that he was available to us,” Coach Joe Kuharich said after Washington selected Guglielmi out of Notre Dame with the fourth pick. “Guglielmi is the type of player who will lead us out of the woods.” If only. Guglielmi went 5-13-3 as a starter over four seasons in Washington.
Advertisement
The QB they should have drafted: Johnny Unitas, the only Hall of Famer to come out of the 1955 draft, was selected by the Steelers in the ninth round.
1953: Jack Scarbath
“I’ve been saying for two years that Scarbath is the greatest college player in America,” Marshall said after Washington selected the Maryland star and 1952 Heisman Trophy runner-up with the third pick. “I never dared to hope that we would get lucky enough to get him.” Washington already had 1950 draft pick Eddie LeBaron at quarterback, so Scarbath spent part of his two seasons in Washington as a halfback.
The QB they should have drafted: Zeke Bratkowski, the longtime backup to Packers QB Bart Starr, was taken in the second round.
1948: Harry Gilmer
Gilmer, the No. 1 pick in the draft after a standout career at Alabama, played six seasons in Washington as a quarterback and halfback. He went 0-8 as a QB with 17 touchdowns and 38 interceptions.
Advertisement
The QB they should have drafted: Bobby Layne, who went third to the Steelers, or Y.A. Tittle, who went sixth to the Lions.
1945: Jim Hardy
Washington traded Hardy, who was named MVP of the 1945 Rose Bowl for Southern California, and two other players to the Rams in May 1946 for former Oklahoma star Jack Jacobs.
The QB they should have drafted: In Hardy and Mississippi’s Charlie Conerly, a 13th-round pick, Washington selected the two best quarterbacks in the draft. Neither played for Washington.
1937: Sammy Baugh
“The Boston Redskins, which are likely to be moved to Washington, were accorded a strong roster of potential material, including Sammy Baugh, the sensational Texas Christian punting ace,” the Associated Press reported after the 1937 NFL draft. Boston’s franchise did relocate to Washington, and Baugh, who was drafted sixth and could throw the ball as well as he punted it, became its star. Over his 16-year Hall of Fame career, Baugh led the team to a pair of NFL titles and revolutionized the game with his passing prowess.
The QB they should have drafted: Baugh. The franchise got this one right.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZMCxu9GtqmhqYGeBcHyTaGlyZ6eWwKm1zaCrqKZdm7azv9Nmqaitnpl6ssHAq6ueqpKWsKy%2FjKOYspyVo3qlrc2inKWrXw%3D%3D