Commanders continue to evaluate interior offensive linemen
The Washington Commanders continue to evaluate offensive linemen ahead of the 2023 NFL draft.
At the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl, assistant offensive line coach Travelle Wharton was one of four Washington coaches to coach a position in the game. That gave Wharton a chance to evaluate several linemen.
Washington used almost half of its 45 formal visits on offensive linemen at the NFL combine. Now, the Commanders are busy using multiple top-30 visits on offensive linemen. Ohio State’s Dawand Jones and Florida’s O’Cyrus Torrence have scheduled visits to Ashburn.
We can add another offensive lineman to the top-30 visit list for Washington, per Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network. UCLA Atonio Mafi is the latest name to emerge as a visitor.
Washington hosted UCLA IOL Atonio Mafi on a Top 30 visit, per source.
Sleeper within the interior that was a standout at Shrine.
The team also met informally with Oregon C Alex Forsyth.
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) March 24, 2023
Mafi, 6-foot-4, 355 pounds, played in 56 career games for the Bruins. He began his career as a defensive tackle before moving over to offense in 2020. He became a full-time starter in 2021 and an all-Pac-12 performer in 2022.
Mafi is viewed as a sleeper in the upcoming draft. Washington and at least three other teams have scheduled visits with Mafi. In Mafi and Torrence, the Commanders are clearly looking for massive guards. Both stand at least 6-foot-4 and weight at least 330 pounds.
In addition to Mafi, Fowler noted that the Commanders had an informal meeting with Oregon center Alex Forsyth.
The 6-foot-4, 303-pound Forsyth is viewed as a natural fit for a zone-blocking scheme at the next level. Forsyth played five seasons at Oregon and was a three-year starter.
