Commanders follow risky first pick with solid draft class

The jury will be out on Daniels until he steps onto an NFL field, and likely for longer than that. He could become a Lamar Jackson, or he could become a Justin Fields — his athleticism should help him impact games immediately, but it’s reasonable to question how much he can flourish with what likely won’t be a high-octane offense around him.

So naturally, the next step for the Commanders is to surround Daniels with the right pieces on both sides of the ball. At first glance, they seemed to hit more than they missed throughout the remainder of the draft.

Washington selected three different times in the second round after a series of trades and took Illinois DT Jer'Zhan Newton (No. 36), Michigan CB Mike Sainristil (No. 50) and Kansas State TE Ben Sinnott (No. 53).

Newton doesn’t fill a position of high need but was considered one of the best players available, while Sainristil was a championship contributor at Michigan and has been described as a major steal. Sinnott will have a chance to make an impact right away given the Commanders’ weak TE room, with an aging Zach Ertz currently the presumptive starter.

In the third round, the Commanders took another pair of players in TCU OT Brandon Coleman (No. 67) and Rice WR Luke McCaffrey (No. 100). It would’ve been ideal for Washington to beef up its O-Line earlier in the draft but Coleman could be a solid consolation prize, and McCaffrey — Christian’s brother — could become a weapon. 

The Commanders’ third-day picks were fewer and further between. They included both Temple LB Jordan Magee and Washington S Dominique Hampton in the fifth round, and finally Notre Dame DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste in the seventh round. Later picks are always wild cards, but perhaps at least one of them could turn into an impact player.

All in all, early returns on the Commanders’ 2024 draft class are positive. Now they’ll need to back up the offseason praise by contributing on the field.