Do you remember the drafting of Commanders’ cornerback Marshon Lattimore?
With New Orleans Saints veteran quarterback Drew Brees entering the NFL way back in the 2001 season, the Saints were much of the talk of the 2017 draft going into the first round. Speculation was heavy that the Saints, realizing Brees was not going to get any younger, might very well draft one of the quarterbacks in the first round.
Three quarterbacks were taken in the first round. North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky was taken second overall by the Chicago Bears. As the Buffalo Bills were on the clock at the No. 10 selection, analysts discussed how the Saints coming up at No. 11 were most likely going to take a quarterback,
Suddenly, a trade was announced. The Kansas City Chiefs had traded up from 27 and now owned the No. 10 selection. The Chiefs then selected Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Saints had been linked to Mahomes and were now on the clock for the 11th overall selection.
The Saints, needing a quarterback, did not take Clemson’s Deshaun Watson to be their future quarterback. New Orleans instead determined to go defense, selecting whom they felt was the best defensive player on their draft board, Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
The irony was that the Saints had been talked of often as taking a quarterback but chose Lattimore. A quarterback ended up being selected in the picks before and after the Saints, as Mahomes went at 10 to the Chiefs and Deshaun Watson to the Texans at No. 12.
Though the Saints missed out on Mahomes, Lattimore became a very successful NFL corner for the Saints, playing in New Orleans for eight seasons. Mid-season last year, at the trade deadline, Lattimore was traded to the Commanders. His play suffered some as he notably missed some games early and then returned to action, but was less than 100 percent due to a nagging hamstring.
The Commanders are glad to have Lattimore now. They are also pleased to have Lattimore under contract for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. A healthy Lattimore will be a massive shot in the arm for the Commanders’ 2025 defense.
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