Washington DC Sports Today

Washington DC Sports News Continuously Updated

Daily Slop – 14 Apr 25 – The Athletic immediately un-makes Commanders’ magic ‘24 season with 2024 re-draft

by


A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, and a sprinkling of other stuff

Commanders links

Articles

The Athletic (paywall)

Redrafting the 2024 NFL Draft: Jayden Daniels or Caleb Williams at No. 1?

[W]elcome back to another redraft. This time, we’ll tackle the 2024 draft — one that definitely lived up to the hype in some areas, while also leaving a few teams wanting more.

(Note: The order reflects how it stood entering Round 1, thereby resetting some trades that shuffled the board.)

1. Chicago Bears: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

Original pick: Caleb Williams, QB, USC

It’d be almost impossible to say the Bears regret drafting Williams No. 1, as the rookie had a very productive first season and was playing better at the end of the year than the beginning. It’s literally impossible, though, to say another rookie QB outperformed Daniels. Now Washington’s franchise player, Daniels had one of the most poised and productive rookie seasons in NFL history.

2. Washington Commanders: Caleb Williams, QB, USC

Original pick: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

The Bears finished Williams’ rookie year 5-12, but it wasn’t the quarterback’s fault. Williams set multiple franchise rookie records, including TD passes (20), passing yards (3,541), completions (351) and rushing yards (489). Chicago has no regrets. For our purpose here, though, Daniels was better.

4. Arizona Cardinals: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU

Original pick: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State

We wrote (many times) last winter about how some NFL scouts believed Nabers was a better prospect than Harrison. At least for one season, those scouts were correct. Nabers set the NFL record for receptions in a season by a rookie (109) and totaled 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns, while playing with one of the worst QB situations in football.

6. New York Giants: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia

Original pick: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU

The Giants certainly hit the jackpot with Nabers, so it’s hard to say they should’ve done something else here. But he’s off the board this time around, so it’s Bowers. The tight end was the best rookie pass catcher in the history of the league last year, with a ridiculous 112-catch, 1,194-yard season, on a team without a true starting QB.

7. Tennessee Titans: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon

Original pick: JC Latham, OT, Alabama

Like the Giants, the Titans remain firmly in quarterback hell and still haven’t found a firm path out (although, Cam Ward’s probably coming soon). This is a team that really should’ve taken advantage of last year’s quarterback class, regardless of how it felt about an unproven Will Levis. Nix absolutely outperformed expectations last year in Denver and appears to have a bright future.

12. Denver Broncos: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State

Original pick: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon

Fuaga had a terrific rookie season after being thrown into the fire at left tackle in New Orleans. There are still improvements to be made regarding Fuaga’s pass pro, but he had dominant flashes in the ground game as a rookie.

19. Los Angeles Rams: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo

Original pick: Jared Verse, edge, Florida State

As expected, Mitchell immediately found his footing as an NFL cornerback and was one of the league’s best full-time starters, wire-to-wire — all the way through the Super Bowl. It was a great start for what looks like a great player.

22. Philadelphia Eagles: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson

Original pick: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo

Wiggins proved to be another masterclass scouting job by the Ravens, who simply pick the best player on their board every time their name is called — and it almost always works out. The Clemson product was up and down early last season, but he settled in just before the midway point and never looked back, finishing with 10 forced incompletions and eight pass breakups.

24. Dallas Cowboys: Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State

Original pick (traded to DET): Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama

The Jets were very patient with Fashanu, who was light on experience in college, and wound up getting five solid starts from the former Penn State star to close the year. If his health cooperates and his development continues, Fashanu could be a huge part of the Jets’ future.

Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)

Mock Draft Monday: 3 Commanders Mock Drafts

Breaking down 3 different mock draft scenarios for the Commanders

With the NFL Draft just 10 days away, I thought it’d be fun to start putting together some mock drafts for the Commanders. To do this, I tried a few different mock draft simulator machines that are available online. For today’s post, I settled on the Pro Football & Sports Network simulator, mainly because it had a free trade function. I set the machine to four rounds because I wanted to cover at least three picks and the Commanders don’t currently have a third round pick, so I extended it to four rounds. I don’t know many of the prospects available after that, so that’s why I’m not doing a full seven round mock draft. Here are the three scenarios I came up with, let me know your thoughts in the comments section!

Scenario 1 – No trades, best player available

In the first scenario, I opted to decline all trade offers and just sit at the Commanders current picks, taking the best player available. Here’s the result.

First round, pick 29 – Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State.

It might not be the most popular pick and it definitely isn’t the biggest need, but Josh Simmons could be one of the best talents available at pick 29. Most Commanders fans have looked away from the offensive line since the Laremy Tunsil trade, understandably, but Simmons is a very high upside tackle prospect with great size and athletic ability. Had he not suffered a knee injury midway through the season, he might have solidified himself as a top 10 pick. Obviously, the Commanders would have to be comfortable with that injury and the chance he could miss time to start the season, but we saw last year they were comfortable doing that with Johnny Newton to land what they felt was the best available talent.

Scenario 2 – Trade back with Bears, get lucky

Riggo’s Rag

Commanders NFL Draft 2025: RB Ollie Gordon II Scouting Report

The Commanders are looking to strengthen their running back room.

Of all the positional needs the Washington Commanders have heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, running back doesn’t figure to be a high priority.

All four backs who shared the ball in 2024 — Brian Robinson Jr., Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols, and Chris Rodriguez Jr. — are still on the roster. However, the recent emergence of the position in modern NFL offenses has some observers thinking Kliff Kingsbury might want more flexibility and production in the backfield.

Ollie Gordon II NFL Player Comparison: James Conner

Gordon has yet to display the ruggedness of James Conner. Even so, his combination of size, speed, and receiving skills suggest a young player who could blossom into a solid RB1 in time or form part of a dynamic rotation.

If he can improve his pass protection, Gordon could be an ideal fit in a Kliff Kingsbury scheme, and has the tools to step into Robinson’s workhorse role should the Alabama graduate depart after 2025.

Ollie Gordon II 2025 Draft Grade: 3rd-4th Round

Peters is missing picks in the middle rounds, where Gordon is likely to be drafted. He makes sense if Washington swings a deal to move back early and pick up additional mid-round selections.

The Commanders reportedly have had multiple meetings with the Oklahoma State back, so he appears to be very much on Peters’ radar.

Commanders Wire

Commanders land surprising cornerback in new NBC mock draft

A couple of days ago, the Sunday Night crew of Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, and Jac Collinsworth took turns alternating selections in their own first-round 2025 mock draft.

No. 29 Washington Commanders CB Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame

JC: “Had he been healthy this year, I think he would have been a top-ten pick. He had a hip injury and missed their run to the playoffs and national championship game. Big physical guy, NFL bloodlines…”

TD: “This is where these guys go in the draft. They are guys that have high first-round talent, but something happened, injuries, style of defense, etc.”

RH: “I was a little surprised you didn’t go safety Xavier Watts, Notre Dame, because Jeremy Chinn left and they still need help at the safety position. The guy has tremendous instincts; he tackles well. He is just a playmaker, reads things before they happen.”

Podcasts & videos

NFC East links

NFL.com

Cowboys, Saints start offseason work on Monday

The Cowboys and Saints will get the ball rolling on the 2025 season. Five other teams with new head coaches got to work last week and the rest of the league will be able to begin their programs next week.

Monday’s work will be the first that the Cowboys have done since Brian Schottenheimer was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach and it will unfold at the same time that star defensive end Micah Parsons is working on a new contract with the team. It’s voluntary work, but the way that Parsons handles his participation will be something to watch until there’s some resolution on that front.

Pro Football Talk

Russell Wilson has started working with his Giants teammates

Wilson shared photos from a workout at Georgia Tech to his Instagram story and it shows that he’s working with three of his targets. Wide receivers Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson joined tight end Theo Johnson at the session with Wilson.

Wilson’s last three seasons created plenty of doubt about his ability to be the kind of quarterback the Giants need to turn their fortunes around, but his bid to do so will only be helped by getting on the same page as his receivers as quickly as possible.

Blogging the Boys

Shedeur spin move

There was a time when Deion Sanders said flatly that his son, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders would “for sure” be selected in the top three of the NFL Draft.

That was in the wayback days when Sanders was only going to visit with the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants — the teams with the top three picks.

Now, Sanders has taken a visit to the Pittsburgh Steelers (picking No. 21) and will visit the Las Vegas Raiders (picking No. 6). And his camp, through willing intermediary Louis Riddick of ESPN, is broadcasting the idea that Sanders doesn’t want to go to the top three teams, anyway.

Yeah, right.

There was debate in the comments when I wrote the Sanders post earlier in the week about whether this was just Riddick talking, or whether this was Riddick delivering a message from the Sanders camp. I fully believe the latter.

As talented as Shedeur is, examples like this are part of the reason I have been in the ‘don’t draft Shedeur’ camp. When something doesn’t go the young man’s way, there is always the potential for Prime Time to use his platform and blame everyone else — the coach, the team, the organization he plays for — and try to absolve Shedeur.

A coach and GM fighting for their jobs and without the cachet to control that distraction don’t need the headache.

One thing I need to add: This actually isn’t about Shedeur. He’s always smiling in interviews I see. He seems polite. He seems grounded. He seems to have his priorities in order. He will likely be a good NFL quarterback.

It’s about what comes with him.

Pro Football Talk

Will Campbell the betting favorite to go No. 4 overall in 2025 NFL draft

LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell has emerged as the betting favorite to be the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Campbell is now a -155 favoite to be taken with the fourth overall pick. The betting odds have Miami quarterback Cam Ward an overwhelming favorite to go first overall, Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter favored to go second, and Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter favored to go third.

The Patriots own the fourth overall pick and are looking to bolster the offensive line to protect last year’s first-round pick, quarterback Drake Maye.

NFL league links

Articles

With Flacco signing, Browns in position to forgo QB at No. 2 in draft

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday morning that the Browns and Joe Flacco reached agreement on a one-year, $4 million deal that could reach $13 million with incentives. The move brings Flacco back to Cleveland, where he won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 2023 and helped lead the Browns to the playoffs amid quarterback turmoil.

Flacco threw for over 300 yards in four straight wins — the Browns went 4-1 in his five regular-season starts — before the run came to an end in a loss to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round.

With the Tennessee Titans likely to select Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick — Schefter reported after his Pro Day that the Titans have become increasingly impressed with him — Hunter has become the betting favorite to be the Browns’ first selection. ESPN’s Draft Predictor gives Hunter more than a 40% chance to be Cleveland’s pick. Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter has more than a 30% chance to be the selection, while Hunter’s teammate, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, has an 11% chance to be the pick.

“It would be great if we could get ‘the quarterback,’ but we’re not going to force it,” Haslam said. “We’re going to be patient and we’re going to try to accumulate as many really good football players as we can.”

NFL.com

Seahawks GM John Schneider: ‘I’d be careful’ when you hear it’s not a great draft for QBs

Last week, during his radio show, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider pushed back on the notion that it might be a weak QB class overall.

“I’d be careful when you hear people say this isn’t a great draft [for quarterbacks],” he said, via the team’s official website. “I think it depends on the team, the player, the quarterback, how you’re going to acquire him, where you’re going to acquire him.”

The Seahawks signed Sam Darnold this offseason after trading away Geno Smith. The Darnold contract, however, gives the club an out next year if things don’t go as planned. The signing of Drew Lock as a backup and the presence of Sam Howell gives the Seahawks a pretty stocked QB room. It’s probably not a position Schneider will look to add early in the draft, but in those middle or later rounds, it could be a consideration — particularly if he genuinely believes that it could be a deep draft at quarterback.

Discussion topics

Front Office Sports

Iamaleava Departure Exposes Cracks in NIL Era As Criticism Mounts

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s departure over an NIL dispute is causing some strong reactions from coaches and other college football insiders.

In the aftermath of Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava and the Volunteers football program parting ways due to an NIL (name, image, and likeness) dispute, most of the college football world is siding with the school, not the player.

Fox’s No. 1 college football TV analyst Joel Klatt called the Tennessee–Iamaleava “wild and yet totally predictable!”

“Of course this was going to happen when there are no guard rails and rules to govern the business and movement of the sports players,” Klatt tweeted. “You may not like what Nico is doing but it is certainly his right.”

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg wrote, “The disruptiveness of moves like Nico’s—when it happened, how many people and teams it could impact—should be an inflection point for CFB, but probably won’t be. We’ll get another set of complaints, pleas to congress, and nothing will change. Rinse and repeat.”

All aTwitter