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The Washington Commanders were set up to exit the 2024 NFL Draft with an absolute haul. That’s exactly what they did. Not only did they have the second overall pick, which they used on LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels but they didn’t stop there. The Commanders would up with three second-round picks and two thirds to go with their second overall pick. It was expected that the Commanders would draft Daniels, but selecting him and a couple of their second-round selections made up the best draft moves that Washington made.
Drafting Jayden Daniels
The Commanders had their pick of the litter outside of Caleb Williams with the second selection. Time will tell whether or not Jayden Daniels was the right choice but he looked like the best on paper and on film. Many have posited that Drake Maye, who went third overall to the New England Patriots, may need to sit a year or two before taking over.
That shouldn’t be the case with Daniels. The QB started five seasons in college football and exploded onto the scene in 2023. He threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns to just four interceptions while averaging 11.7 yards per attempt. Daniels also completed 72.2% of his passes.
In addition to that, Daniels is superb on the ground with his legs. He ran for 2,019 yards and 21 touchdowns over his last two seasons at Baton Rouge, with 1,134 of those coming in 2023. There’s a reason why he won the Heisman last year and played himself into being a top-two pick.
Throwback to Jayden Daniels game vs Florida
17/26 passes completed
3 passing TDs
234 rush yards
2 rush TDsCan't wait for performances like this in Washington
pic.twitter.com/4b2BDhHaej— Tek (@CookedByTek) May 2, 2024
Daniels is ready to play now in the NFL. The situation he finds himself is a pretty good one too. The Commanders lost some offensive linemen this offseason but have a decent group. It only got better with their third-round selection of TCU offensive tackle Brandon Coleman. He also has Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson at his disposal as receivers to throw to.
Daniels is in a good spot. His offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury, can deploy him the same way he did Kyler Murray in Arizona. The former LSU signal-caller could be the next franchise quarterback in Washington. It’s been a while since anyone could say that about a passer in the nation’s capital.
Drafting Jer’zhan Newton
The Commanders did not need an interior defensive lineman in the 2024 NFL Draft. They already have two of the best in the league in Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. But when a talented player slips farther than he should, sometimes a team just has to take them. That’s what happened with Illinois’ Jer’zhan Newton.
Newton was regarded by many as a first-round pick. PFF had Newton graded as the 11th-best player in the entire draft, so getting him at 36 was a steal. He will provide immediate help with Washington’s pass rush in the interior.
After trading both Montez Sweat and Chase Young at the trade deadline last year, the Commanders had to find pass-rush help any way they could. They do just that with Newton.
Drafting Mike Sainristill
The biggest need the Commanders had to fill this offseason was fixing their secondary. They were dead last in EPA allowed per dropback last season. Washington drafted cornerback Emmanuel Forbes in the first round a year ago but they had to find more help in the back end. They did so with Michigan’s Mike Sainristill.
Sainristill is a lockdown slot corner. Ideally, the Commanders would’ve exited this draft with more than just him, but he can immediately help prevent Washington from getting torched on a weekly basis. Washington traded back to pick up an extra second-round pick from the Philadelphia Eagles, which helped them get Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott.
Washington addressed a glaring need and was able to bring in more draft capital. That’s good business on their part.
More must-reads:
- NFL has a reported date for the 2024 schedule release
- NFL schedule release primer: Biggest things to know before next week's unveiling
- The 'NFL MVP runners-up' quiz
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