Instant draft reactions
April 29, 2024
by Steve Thomas
Since the draft just ended, it seemed like the perfect time to provide some way too soon, totally unsupported opinions about how Washington did in the annual collegiate talent grab. Washington has been the victim of several . . . less than successful drafts over many years, but particularly during the era of the recently departed former head coach and general manager Ron Rivera. Is it possible that Adam Peters, Dan Quinn and company did better? We can’t possible know the answer to that question right now, but speculation is running rampant, so I figured that I’d jump into the fray. I’ll go pick by pick and then give some overall thoughts.
Round 1, pick 2: Jayden Daniels, QB, USC
The obvious pick. I realize that there was a group of “Drake Maye or bust” fans out there, and then another, smaller group who were determined to see Washington trade this pick away for a slew of lower, less valuable picks, but neither of those things were ever going to happen. For his part, Maye is too inconsistent and needs to improve too much to be ranked over Daniels. As for a trade, understand the context of this pick: this is the first year of a new era of Washington football, and they need a star to both build around and market; therefore, team leadership was never going to pass up the chance to get someone like that in the building from day one in favor of something less. Obviously, nobody has a crystal ball, so we don’t know if Daniels is going to become the franchise-level star that this team has missed for more than 30 years, but he does have a legitimate shot at it. Washington will have to be careful to design an offense that takes advantage of his skills, and they’ll need to teach him to be less risky with his body. Regardless, though, it’ll be fun to watch.
Steve’s meaningless, unnecessary, way too early grade: A
Round 2, pick 4: Jer’Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois
I have to be honest: I don’t understand this pick at all. Washington absolutely, 100% did not need yet another highly drafted interior defensive lineman. And before you start screaming “BPA!!!!!!!!!!!!” at me, please spare me the drama. That strategy is much less useful if it isn’t based in some sort of team need analysis. Yes, Newton appears to be a guy who would’ve probably been with a low first round grade, but I don’t know how he can possibly become a starter considering that Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne are entrenched on the inside. And let’s not forget about Phidarian Mathis, either. No matter how much of a bargain Newton might have been from a draft standpoint, at some point, you just don’t need to restock the position, at least from the top of the draft Interior defensive line is literally the last position on which I would’ve spent a high draft pick this year if I’d been in charge in Washington. Drafting Newton was the equivalent of buying a high-priced item at Sak’s Fifth Avenue that you didn’t need just because it was on sale for 10% off. Sure, you got a bargain, but you still didn’t need that new pair of shoes. Understand? Washington obviously needed an offensive lineman here, desperately, and the draft day rumors were that Washington did try to trade up, unsuccessfully. I don’t know whether or not that’s true, or if it is true, what they offered, but it would’ve been a far better use of this pick. Looking at the players who were drafted immediately after this pick, I note that picks 6 and 7 were also defensive tackles, but wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk went to New England with the very next pick, and corners Cooper DeJean and Kool-Aid McKinstry went to the Eagles and the Saints, respectively, with picks 8 and 9. Any of those would’be been better.
Steve’s meaningless, unnecessary, way too early grade: D+
Round 2, pick 18: Mike Sainristil, CB, Michigan
Washington needed a corner, and some analysts spoke in fawning, hushed tones about Sainristil, so this seems like a marriage made in heaven. Granted, he wasn’t universally rated as a first round talent, but who am I to question how much nuance Washington’s scouts placed between the grades of Saintristil versus guys like DeJean and McKinstry? Saintristil is a slot corner, by his own admission, and his height and skills would suggest that he’s correct. Therefore, this pick probably doesn’t solve that problem – and I’m not hopeful that Emmanuel Forbes will either – but irrespective of that, Sainristil seems like a home run pick for Washington at this spot in the draft.
Steve’s meaningless, unnecessary, way too early grade: A+
Round 2, pick 21: Ben Sinnott, TE, Kansas St.
Yes, Washington had a need in its tight end group, as the probable starter is going to be 34 in November and is on a one year contract, and the rest of the group is mostly comprised of questionable draft picks from earlier years, so that’s good. Sinnott certainly has talent, or so it appears – he’s a versatile “F” tight end, which can be useful even if Washington still needs a true, inline, blocking tight end. However, he seems like a bit of a reach at this point in round 2. Most scouts had him rated at a day 3 talent. Like all picks, if Sinnott works out, it won’t matter, but going another direction might have been the smarter thing to do from a draft value standpoint.
Steve’s meaningless, unnecessary, way too early grade: B-
Round 3, pick 3: Brandon Coleman, OL, TCU
You may notice that I put “OL” as his position group instead of either guard or tackle. After thinking about it for a day, I’m honestly not sure exactly where he would be the best fit. Most have him as a guard, but there’s a group of analysts who legitimately think Coleman can be an NFL tackle. Washington’s leadership seems to be trying to will left tackle into existence for Coleman – they know how much of a need this was, and were either unable or unwilling to pick one up earlier. As a result they really, really need Coleman to work out, as having a 2024 offensive line that was as much of a sieve as was the 2023 group would be terrible for the new rookie quarterback. Irrespective of the fact that Washington was unable or unwilling to trade up, Coleman was the necessary pick at this point in time in the draft.
Steve’s meaningless, unnecessary, way too early grade: A-
Round 3, pick 37: Luke McCaffrey, WR, Rice
This is awesome. What can possibly be wrong with bringing a McCaffrey into Washington, and way down in the bottom of the third round? The truth is that in terms of talent, McCaffrey may be the lesser of the two brothers, but he’s a rising talent. He’s only played the receiver position for two years, so he has the potential to get much better. Most analysts see him as a possession receiver out of the slot. I don’t know whether that’s accurate or inaccurate, but considering his family history and his potential for improvement, this was definitely a worthwhile gamble at this point in the draft.
Steve’s meaningless, unnecessary, way too early grade: A
Round 5, pick 4: Jordan Magee, LB, Temple
Washington desperately needed a linebacker. It would’ve been better if they had been able to grab a starter-level player, but for a round 5 pick, Magee is a worthwhile gamble. He is definitely more of an outside linebacker than someone who can play in the middle, and I’m not sure of his potential to develop into a long-term starter, but it isn’t reasonable to expect that level of player in round 5. I think Magee probably has the ability to be a contributor on special teams right away. Plus, considering the atrocious status of Washington’s linebacker group behind the starters, it won’t be that difficult to stand out. Solid pick here.
Steve’s meaningless, unnecessary, way too early grade: B
Round 5, pick 26: Dominique Hampton, S, Washington
My opinion of this selection isn’t too different than my thoughts about Magee. Hampton comes into a position group that needs help, so in that respect. There seems to be some disagreement about what role for which Hampton may be a better fit, but on the other hand, we don’t really know what sort of defense Dan Quinn is going to run. Hampton strikes me as zone coverage guy, not a man specialist, and perhaps as a strong safety in a cover 3 system. Either way, I think he has potential.
Steve’s meaningless, unnecessary, way too early grade: B
Round 7, pick 2: Javontae Jean-Baptiste, edge, Notre Dame
Jean-Baptiste’s problem is that he’s fairly inexperienced, despite spending so much time in college, and didn’t produce as much as some others from a statistical perspective. On the other hand, though, this is why he’s a seventh round pick. His size and measurements are fairly prototypical for an NFL 4 – 3 edge rusher, so it’s entirely possible that Washington’s coaching staff can mold him into a quality role player. This is another position at which Washington needs some significant help, so from a needs standpoint, this was a much-needed selection. Jean-Baptiste will get a legitimate opportunity to succeed here in Washington.
Steve’s meaningless, unnecessary, way too early grade: B+
Final thoughts
Overall, at first glance, this seems like a pretty good draft for Washington. The didn’t overthink the obvious in round 1, which was the right thing to do, and they filled a bunch of needs. The negative was that they didn’t figure out how to get a surefire left tackle in either the bottom of round 1 or in round 2, which wasn’t ideal. This draft will look alot better if management’s gamble on Brandon Coleman works out. There’s potential in this group, and the fact of the matter is that the team was never going to fix every wrong in just one draft. Good start, guys.
Steve’s meaningless, unnecessary, way too early overall grade: B+