Washington’s history with the draft, dates all the way back to 1936 and the first ever NFL Draft. Washington were still in Boston. Riley Smith was chosen as the second ever NFL pick.
Historical First Round Facts
The Redskins – now Commanders – have only held the number one overall pick twice. With those picks, they chose Harry Gilmer in 1948, and Ernie Davis in 1962.
Washington have selected number two overall five times – Riley Smith (1936), Norm Snead (1961), Lavar Arrington (2000), Robert Griffin III (2012) and Chase Young (2020).
They have also selected number three overall five times – Jack Scarbath (1953), Joe Rutgens (1961), Charley Taylor (1964), Heath Shuler (1994), and Chris Samuels (2000).
Award Winners
Two Washington first-round picks have been named NFL Rookie of the Year. Quarterback Robert Griffin III was the Offensive Rookie Of The Year in 2012. Defensive end Chase Young was the Defensive Rookie Of The Year in 2020.
Four Washington first round selections had Hall of Fame careers: Sammy Baugh, Darrell Green, Art Monk, and Charley Taylor.
Washington have not selected at all in the first round of a draft, twenty-eight times.
Here is a complete list of Washington’s first round draft selections:
First Round Draft Picks
| Year | Pick | Player name | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | 2 | Riley Smith | FB | Alabama |
| 1937 | 6 | Sammy Baugh | QB | TCU |
| 1938 | 9 | Andy Farkas | RB | Detroit |
| 1939 | 8 | I. B. Hale | T | TCU |
| 1940 | 8 | Ed Boell | QB | New York |
| 1941 | 10 | Forest Evashevski | QB | Michigan |
| 1942 | 6 | Spec Sanders | RB | Texas |
| 1943 | 10 | Jack Jenkins | FB | Vanderbilt |
| 1944 | 8 | Mike Micka | FB | Colgate |
| 1945 | 8 | Jim Hardy | QB | Southern California |
| 1946 | 9 | Cal Rossi | B | UCLA |
| 1947 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1948 | 1 | Harry Gilmer | HB | Alabama |
| 1948 | 4 | Lowell Tew | B | Alabama |
| 1949 | 8 | Rob Goode | B | Texas A&M |
| 1950 | 6 | George Thomas | B | Oklahoma |
| 1951 | 4 | Leon Heath | FB | Oklahoma |
| 1952 | 7 | Larry Isbell | B | Baylor |
| 1953 | 3 | Jack Scarbath | B | Maryland |
| 1954 | 8 | Steve Meilinger | E | Kentucky |
| 1955 | 4 | Ralph Guglielmi | QB | Notre Dame |
| 1956 | 12 | Ed Vereb | HB | Maryland |
| 1957 | 9 | Don Bosseler | FB | Miami (FL) |
| 1958 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1959 | 4 | Don Allard | QB | Boston College |
| 1960 | 4 | Richie Lucas | QB | Penn State |
| 1961 | 2 | Norm Snead | QB | Wake Forest |
| 1961 | 3 | Joe Rutgens | T | Illinois |
| 1962 | 1 | Ernie Davis | B | Syracuse |
| 1963 | 7 | Pat Richter | E | Wisconsin |
| 1964 | 3 | Charley Taylor | HB | Arizona State |
| 1965 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1966 | 6 | Charlie Gogolak | K | Princeton |
| 1967 | 13 | Ray McDonald | RB | Idaho |
| 1968 | 12 | Jim Smith | DB | Oregon |
| 1969 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1971 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1972 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1973 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1974 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1975 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1976 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1977 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1978 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1979 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1980 | 18 | Art Monk | WR | Syracuse |
| 1981 | 20 | Mark May | T | Pittsburgh |
| 1982 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1983 | 28 | Darrell Green | CB | Texas A&I |
| 1984 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1985 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1986 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1987 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1988 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1989 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1990 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1991 | 17 | Bobby Wilson | DT | Michigan State |
| 1992 | 4 | Desmond Howard | WR | Michigan |
| 1993 | 19 | Tom Carter | DB | Notre Dame |
| 1994 | 3 | Heath Shuler | QB | Tennessee |
| 1995 | 4 | Michael Westbrook | WR | Colorado |
| 1996 | 30 | Andre Johnson | T | Penn State |
| 1997 | 17 | Kenard Lang | DE | Miami (FL) |
| 1998 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 1999 | 7 | Champ Bailey | CB | Georgia |
| 2000 | 2 | LaVar Arrington | LB | Penn State |
| 2000 | 3 | Chris Samuels | T | Alabama |
| 2001 | 15 | Rod Gardner | WR | Clemson |
| 2002 | 32 | Patrick Ramsey | QB | Tulane |
| 2003 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 2004 | 5 | Sean Taylor | S | Miami (FL) |
| 2005 | 9 | Carlos Rogers | CB | Auburn |
| 2005 | 25 | Jason Campbell | QB | Auburn |
| 2006 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 2007 | 6 | LaRon Landry | S | Louisiana State |
| 2008 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 2009 | 13 | Brian Orakpo | LB | Texas |
| 2010 | 4 | Trent Williams | T | Oklahoma |
| 2011 | 16 | Ryan Kerrigan | DE | Purdue |
| 2012 | 2 | Robert Griffin III | QB | Baylor |
| 2013 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 2014 | — | — No pick | — | — |
| 2015 | 5 | Redskins Select Scherff With Fifth Overall Pick | G | Iowa |
| 2016 | 22 | Josh Doctson | WR | TCU |
| 2017 | 17 | Jonathan Allen | DT | Alabama |
| 2018 | 13 | Daron Payne | NT | Alabama |
| 2019 | 15 | Dwayne Haskins | QB | Ohio State |
| 2019 | 26 | Montez Sweat | DE | Mississippi State |
| 2020 | 2 | Chase Young | DE | Ohio State |
| 2021 | 19 | Jamin Davis | LB | Kentucky |
| 2022 | 16 | Jahan Dotson | WR | Penn State |
| 2023 | 16 | Emmanuel Forbes | CB | Mississippi State |
