2024 Commanders Draft Class – Syndication Server

Quinn thrilled with Commanders’ rookies Newton and Coleman

Dan Quinn praises rookies Johnny Newton and Brandon Coleman.

Monday was the first day of the 2024 Commanders being in pads; it was also a time when the line of scrimmage became more of an emphasis.

When the pads go on, the hitting begins, the blocking begins, the tackling begins, and so instead of simple handoffs and passes being the focus, line play becomes more integral.

Two particular linemen have Quinn’s attention, and it was no accident he was asked about both rookies

Quinn is pleased regarding rookie DT Johnny Newton, the 36th overall selection in this year’s draft.

“No limitations at all,” Quinn said of Newton who had two offseason foot surgeries.

“He is actually doing great. Then we’ll start the team periods shortly with him. He’s making huge strides. He’s in excellent shape, so it was more just by design. The player is wanting to go badly and is showing he can, but really we want to stick to our plan of how we’re ramping him up. But yeah, you’ll see him in some team work soon.”

When asked what he has seen from OT Brandon Coleman, Quinn offered some praise. Coleman was the 67th overall selection in April’s draft.

“One of the things that I knew was he is a very good athlete, but what I have been more impressed by is he’s got great balance for a big guy, and so he’s got power in his legs. One foot coming back, redirecting on pass rush stunts that could go. So that might be one of the things I didn’t know was really one of his strengths. I knew he was a good athlete and movements and that, but balance is a harder thing to test. You have to see it. And so he is very rarely somebody that’s out of position or on the ground.”

PFF commends Commanders draft and roster overhaul

A mostly positive and realistic preview of the Commanders’ 2024 season.

Pro Football Focus provided their season preview Friday, of the Washington Commanders.

Sam Monson and Dalton Wasserman of PFF gave their evaluations. Here we go:

Monson began unfairly calling Dan Quinn “a retread head coach” and noted a “huge proportion of the roster was overhauled.” Quinn once won the NFC; how is he merely a retread?

Wasserman began much more optimistically. He thinks, “Dan Quinn is going to come in there and change things quickly. And for me, this was a monster draft class. This was actually my favorite draft class in the whole league…These are players all over the place who are really good college players…There’s probably no one in our building who hypes up Jayden Daniels more than I do.”

Not being shy about Daniels, Wasserman continued, “I look at him and go, that could be a down-the-line MVP caliber player…He, to me, is the full package. If Caleb (Williams) wasn’t sitting there, he would have been the number one pick pretty easily…I think he is every bit in the Rookie of the Year race as Caleb Williams or anybody else is.”

“I find Washington a really difficult team to project forward,” countered Monson. He pointed to the massive turnover on the entire roster and referred to the NFC East as “that weird division,” noting that no one has won the division in consecutive years in two decades.

“Overall I think you are right, Jayden Daniels could be really, really good. Their offensive line is still a bit of a concern for me. They still don’t have a great-looking one on paper.”

“I don’t think they will be where the Cowboys or Eagles are, but I think this could be a close division, maybe tighter than people are expecting it to be.”

Dalton echoed Monson regarding the offensive line, “I don’t think it is the worst line in the league. It could certainly be a concern, and offensive tackle especially is a spot where that could be a sore spot.”

Dalton likes Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu’s additions at linebacker but sees questions at defensive end and cornerback.

“If they hit on Johnny Newton and Mike Sainristil, you’ve got a seriously better base to work with.

So both guys see things looking up for the Commanders with the new staff and new overhauled roster.

Rookie OT Brandon Coleman glad to be with the Commanders

Rookie OT Brandon Coleman thankful it was the Commanders who drafted him.

“It’s been great feeling. It’s exciting to see the other guys and coaches. Really able to feel what this place is ahout,” said new Commanders offensive tackle Brandon Coleman.

Coleman sat down last week with Bryan Colbert Jr. for an episode of Raising Hail with the Rookies. Early on, Coleman conveyed his excitement to get here (Ashburn) and to get to work.

When receiving Adam Peters’s draft night phone call, Coleman said he was walking around, not knowing what to do. When the call ended, he suddenly became emotional. “I was really happy that a team believes in me like they do. I’m at a place where I am wanted, and I’m able to compete.”

Coleman was not surprised when the Commanders made the call, citing he had been chosen to be one of the 30 the Commanders invited to come for a visit, and he thought it had gone well. The former TCU lineman insists he has been asked several times, and he really believes his best visit was here with the Commanders.

It is definitely worth noting that Coleman was not asked by Colbert about the facilities and that it was Coleman who volunteered, that he didn’t need to go to the place with the best facilities as long as he had a place where you could compete and a place where you can grow in.”

Translation: During his visit here, Coleman was not impressed with the Ashburn facilities. He did, however, like how his meetings with Peters and Quinn developed.

Watch here for the entire Brandon Coleman interview.

Sainristil sees Commanders as a great opportunity

Mike Sainristil views the Commanders as the perfect opportunity for him.

Alabama legend football coach Nick Saban said this kid might be the best player in the draft pound pound-for-pound.

Saban was referring to Mike Sainristil, a nickel corner out of Michigan, whom the Commanders selected with the 50th overall pick in April’s NFL draft.

Sainristil sat down with Bryan Colbert Jr. for another episode of “Raising Hail with the Rookies.”

“It’s a blessing to be here,” began Sainristil. “God works his ways, he put me in this building and I felt very blessed, very appreciative of this opportunity to be here.”

He talked of how his parents moved the family from Haiti, sacrificed, overcame struggles, and constantly worked when things didn’t go right sometimes, teaching him, “There’s nothing I’m going through that I can’t keep pushing through. One thing I learned young, in order to grow, you’ve got to go through something.”

Sainristil said he was raised in a strict home, but now, as he is older, he appreciates it and feels it has made him who he is.

Receiving a draft night call from the Commanders surprised the former Wolverine, saying he had never even talked to his agent about the possibility of being selected by the Commanders. When he was officially selected moments later, he said it was great how excited he was and everyone in the room with him.

He joked that if he could sit down with Saban, he would ask him, “Why couldn’t you say that about me before the draft?” This would have raised his stock to have been selected earlier…

“The one thing I know I am going to bring to this team is I am going to be a great teammate, respectable, able to be held accountable, and going to hold my teammates accountable. I’m going to be a leader.”

Having begun as a receiver at Michigan and then being asked by Jim Harbaugh to switch to defensive back, Sainristil believes that regarding “techniques and fundamentals, I am still far off from where I can be, and that is what excites me the most. Being in this opportunity with these coaches is the best opportunity possible.”

Commanders rookie Jordan Magee understands opportunity in front of him

Rookie linebacker Jordan Magee excited about learning under Bobby Wagner.

It’s not how you start, but Commanders rookie Jordan Magee said all the right things last week.

Magee, drafted in round five (139) out of Temple, sat down with Bryan Colbert Jr. recently as Colbert continued to interview all the rookies drafted by the Commanders in April.

So often rookies talk about how much they are going to accomplish, but Magee seems to have an understanding that it is not going to be easy in the NFL.

“I am learning from one of the best coaching staffs in the entire NFL; I’m taking it all in but continuing to work hard.”

Back at home with family and close friends in Delaware, Magee received a phone call on Day 3 of the NFL draft. “All those people in that room played an important part in my life…to have them with me through that journey was priceless.”

His linebacker coach is Ken Norton Jr, and Magee is thankful. “I am happy to learn from him and pick his brain from what he has done over the years…what he was and what he’s continuing to bring to the game.”

Also, Magee has the opportunity to learn from fellow linebacker Bobby Wagner a future Hall of Famer. He spoke of learning aspects from Wagner like, “How do you take on a blocker, how do you learn this play, mindset things, technique things, things that helped him stay in the league a long time.”

Magee also doesn’t seem to over-evaluate himself. He didn’t expect to be drafted until Day 3, “I knew it was coming up soon, but the Commanders were the team with the least communication throughout the draft process, so it was crazy that they gave me that call and changed my life.”

Magee told Colbert that he was not highly recruited by the big football schools. When he arrived at Temple, he was the tenth linebacker on their depth chart.

He expressed that he knows he will be learning and making mistakes, but he understands he must give 100 percent effort to fly around making plays.

When asked about his goals, it was refreshing to hear his response. “I haven’t done anything yet. I haven’t made the 53-man roster…help the team out wherever they need it, like special teams. I love special teams.”

The rookie seems to have his expectations in the right place, which should help him get off to a good start this summer.

Rookie was overwhelmed when Commanders drafted him

Javontae Jean-Baptiste discusses his draft day and the emotion involved.

He was drafted No. 222 overall. Does Commanders rookie Javontae Jean-Baptiste have a chance to make the team?

Jean-Baptiste sat down with Bryan Colbert Jr. for an episode of “Command Center,” which is now implementing the use of “Raise Hail” as well during the program’s opening.

The rookie defensive end, drafted from Notre Dame, didn’t hesitate to comment on how things have moved quicker in the early workouts for the Commanders. He mentioned being told the workouts would be fast-paced but quickly added that he didn’t understand that until going through it himself last week.

He said on the third day of the draft when the phone rang, he did not know which team was calling.When told by Adam Peters on the phone that the Commanders were drafting him, Jean-Baptiste said the emotion overwhelmed him. “It just sunk in; I was on the phone ugly crying. I can’t believe they got me sounding like this,” recalls Jean-Baptiste.

Seeing he was not selected until selection 222, Jean-Baptiste said perhaps he cried because “It was anxiousness, family, all the hard work. It was just a wave of emotion hitting me at once. It was a big relief lifted off.”

The 6-foot-5, 239-pound defensive end said he thinks playing at programs like Ohio State and Notre Dame helped him learn and adapt quickly.

On the final draft day, the NFL draft covers rounds four through seven. Jean-Baptiste found himself thinking, “No, not me” (going undrafted), but sure enough, it was humbling, as he had to wait until the 222nd selection by Washington.

The rookie does possess some humility, readily admitting he needs to learn whatever he can during these off-season workouts. “You can learn something from everybody. You could pick up little traits from anyone. They don’t have to be in my position. Once you are around so much knowledge like that you got to become like a sponge and soak it all up.”