The 2024 NFL draft is in the books for the Washington Commanders. With their final pick — No. 222 overall in the seventh round — the Commanders selected Notre Dame edge rusher Javontae Jean-Baptiste.
Jean-Baptise began his career at Ohio State, where he played five seasons, appeared in 44 games and made six starts. He had eight sacks during his time with the Buckeyes. In his one year at Notre Dame, Jean-Baptiste recorded 49 tackles, including a team-high 10. 5 for loss and five sacks. He played in every game and made 12 starts for the Fighting Irish.
Jean-Baptiste has exciting measurables, standing 6-foot-5, weighing 239 pounds with 33 3/4″ arms. Jean-Baptiste ran the 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds.
The Commanders hosted Jean-Baptiste on a top 30 visit.
Here is NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein’s scouting report on Jean-Baptiste:
After a five-year run at Ohio State with modest production, Jean-Baptiste’s Notre Dame tape has put him in position to become a developmental Day 3 draft pick. He has good length but lacks play strength to stack and discard tackles. He’ll need to hit the weights to improve his anchor, but he has the footwork and agility to slide off of block sustain and make tackles. He’s a step slow off the snap, dulling his ability to outrace tackles to the edge, but he flashes the hands and hips to become a more impactful rusher if teams rewire his rush plan. There is still a level of upside available for Jean-Baptiste.