WFT GM Martin Mayhew Keeps Pre-NFL Draft Talk to Washington's Current QBs

WFT GM keeps pre-Draft talk to Washington's current QBs originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Washington Football coach Ron Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew held a pre-draft press conference on Friday, and much of the session was devoted to quarterback talk. Could Washington look to trade up for a passer? What do they value most in prospects at that spot? And how could another up-in-the-air offseason impact their interest in selecting a young arm?

In the midst of all those questions about QBs their team doesn't even have on its roster yet, the decision-making pair made sure to highlight that they believe in the group that makes up their current depth chart. You know, the ones they actually know should be in the picture in 2021.

"We do feel very confident and comfortable with the quarterbacks on our roster right now," Mayhew said. "I'm very excited about getting to work with each and every single one of those guys and I'm excited to see how it goes."

The guys Mayhew is referring to include Ryan Fitzpatrick, Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen. Fitzpatrick's performance last year with the Dolphins was beyond average and, by some metrics, well beyond average, while Heinicke and Allen both have starting experience to go along with their deep familiarity with the Burgundy and Gold's staff. 

No one in that trio represents an ideal, long-term solution, but together — ideally with Fitzpatrick handling the bulk of the snaps — they could absolutely keep Washington relevant, if not be an integral part of another playoff run. Even if Mayhew was leaning more on the diplomatic side by publicly declaring his appreciation for the three options, there is reason to believe they can at least be functional.

Later on in the presser, the GM did give a bit of a hint at what he looks for when scouting the next wave of signal-callers. He mostly dodged direct inquiries that related at all to football's most prized position, but in one brief moment on Zoom, he revealed one thing that matters to him.

"For me, especially evaluating quarterbacks, I think time spent on the job is definitely a positive," he told reporters. "So anytime you see guys with limited time on the job, that is a concern for me... And there is certainly more guys like that this year."

Rivera followed up and expressed a similar view.

"It's such a tough one to figure out," he said. "Time spent, as many snaps as possible, getting as much work as you can, that helps a lot. There's a lot of tape to evaluate. You can go back as far as you want and see the growth. That's important as well."

Could that mean that Trey Lance, who has just 318 college attempts on his résumé, isn't as appealing to the club as some outsiders believe? Is Davis Mills, the Stanford product with only 14 games of action to comb through, less enticing in the middle rounds, too?

When the draft finally commences to close out April, those who follow Washington will at last come to learn how the organization truly feels about the quarterbacks ascending to the next level of football.

On Friday, though, there was some emphasis on the ones who are already at that level, which the franchise's two leaders clearly haven't forgotten about. And with it, perhaps, a focus on not giving away any draft plans.

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