Tag: Adam Peters

Commanders select Rice WR Luke McCaffrey at No. 100 overall in the 2024 NFL draft

The Commanders select Christian McCaffrey’s brother with the final pick of the third round.

The Washington Commanders got themselves a wide receiver on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL draft. With the No. 100 overall pick — the final pick of the third round — the Commanders selected Rice wide receiver Luke McCaffrey.

If that name sounds familiar, it’s because McCaffrey is the younger brother of 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey and the son of former NFL player Ed McCaffrey.

General manager Adam Peters was a part of the San Francisco front office that traded for Christian McCaffrey two years ago.

Luke McCaffrey began his college football career as a quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. After two years at Nebraska, he transferred to Rice. McCaffrey appeared in nine games at quarterback, making three starts in 2021. In the spring of 2022, McCaffrey moved to wide receiver.

In his first year as a wide receiver, McCaffrey caught 58 passes for 723 yards and six touchdowns. In 2023, McCaffrey caught 71 passes for 992 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Here is NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein’s scouting report on McCaffrey:

Big slot target who comes from high-end NFL bloodlines and who showed noticeable improvement in his second season at the position. Luke lacks the size of his father, former Pro Bowl receiver Ed McCaffrey, and the explosiveness of his brother, Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey, but he catches with soft hands, great focus and extreme toughness. McCaffrey struggles to release and bypass press coverage and might not have enough separation quickness or top-end speed to uncover against NFL defenders. However, with additional time to learn the position and fine-tune his route running, McCaffrey might be able to follow his dad and brother into the league as a possession slot receiver.

 

Who did the Commanders get in Brandon Coleman?

Will Coleman play tackle or guard in the NFL?

Brandon Coleman, 6-foot-4, 313 pounds, was the Commanders first selection in round three, 67th overall.

He was listed as a guard on the NFL Network coverage, which I was watching at the time of the selection.

Coleman started 34 of his 41 career games at Texas Christian University, so he has played both inside and outside.

He played both guard and tackle at TCU. On the television broadcast, Coleman was announced as a tackle, though he did not play tackle exclusively in college. Perhaps the Commanders listed him as a tackle, revealing their intention to move Coleman back outside in the NFL.

The Commanders are weak and thin at tackle. They could not trade back into the first round to obtain a tackle. In addition, they have had the opportunity to draft tackles in the second and third rounds, but apparently, general manager Adam Peters has not felt the tackles available were of the value that the Commanders were selecting.

This is not a criticism of Peters at all. We admire his willingness to select good players and not simply reach unwisely to meet a need.

This selection might also have revealed that Peters wanted to get a tackle all night and simply didn’t feel he could wait any longer.

Commanders owner Josh Harris on Jayden Daniels: ‘We got the best player in the draft’

Josh Harris thrilled to have Jayden Daniels as his first draft pick.

New Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was in Ashburn on Friday, one day after becoming the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

Daniels’s parents joined him as he and general manager Adam Peters met with the assembled media. Also present was Washington managing partner Josh Harris.

It’s safe to say Harris is thrilled with his first-ever draft as owner of his favorite childhood team.

“He stood out as a football player, statistically, what he did on the field, scouting-wise and we think we got the best player in the draft,” Harris said. “I met him as an individual, as a man, and you can all hear who he is.”

How involved was Harris in the process of selecting Daniels as the new quarterback?

“This was a very important day for the franchise; I wanted to watch and learn and listen and see (GM) Adam (Peters) and (head coach) Dan (Quinn) working, so I was selectively involved, but certainly got to know a number of the quarterbacks, a number of the people that we were considering and he stood out.”

Harris reportedly traveled with Peters and Quinn to the NFL combine and sat in on interviews with some of the quarterback prospects, and also spent time with them when they came to Ashburm for the much-discussed group visit.

 

Could the Commanders strike a deal for 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk?

Could Brandon Aiyuk be an option for the Commanders?

The Washington Commanders got their man on Thursday night, selecting LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft.

The goal now is to surround him with plenty of help. The Commanders need an offensive tackle and will likely address the issue with one of their second-round picks on Friday.

Washington could also use more help at wide receiver. Yes, the Commanders have Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson. Curtis Samuel is gone. Washington could take one of the draft’s top remaining wide receiver prospects, but there could be another opportunity to help Daniels.

The San Francisco 49ers surprisingly selected Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the 31st overall pick. Why? The 49ers are shopping wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Samuel is a star but is expensive and battled injuries. Aiyuk is on the verge of superstardom but is about to get paid. San Francisco can only pay so many players.

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Could Aiyuk be an option for Washington? General manager Adam Peters knows the Niners well, having spent the past eight seasons there and played a role in drafting Samuel and Aiyuk. He would also know if Aiyuk is a realistic option. Other teams are needing wide receiver help, too, such as the Buffalo Bills. But, Washington could have advantages over others.

First, the Commanders have the draft capital to satisfy the 49ers. Second, Aiyuk’s good friend is Daniels. They were once teammates at Arizona State, and Daniels mentioned Friday how close the two were.

Finally, Washington has the salary cap flexibility to satisfy Aiyuk’s contract demands.

Could a deal happen on Friday? It’s certainly something to watch and makes sense on multiple levels. McLaurin and Aiyuk would give the Commanders an elite duo.

 

Commanders GM Adam Peters: We knew it was Daniels for a long time

Adam Peters knew it was going to be Jayden Daniels for a long time.

Shortly after the Washington Commanders selected LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL draft, general manager Adam Peters joined the “Pat McAfee Show” to discuss the pick.

McAfee kicked off the conversation, asking Peters how he was doing.

“Doing great, how you guys doing,” Peters asked. “I’m doing a lot better now, I can tell you that.”

While there were many rumors that Washington liked Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy, the pick was always going to be Daniels.

“It was a process, and I think that’s what I learned from the guy next to you (Bill Belichick), just being process-oriented, we wanted to get through everything before we settled on a decision, but we knew this one for a long time.”

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As for the Top Golf silliness, Peters explained why he chose that process for the top-30 visit and what he learned about Daniels. It sounds like Peters thought the whole thing was overblown.

 

 

Commanders to retire Darrell Green’s No. 28 jersey

A great way to start the day for the Commanders.

On the first day of the 2024 NFL draft, the Washington Commanders had franchise legend Darrell Green film a video welcoming the class of 2024 to Washington.

Once that portion of the video was complete, someone told Green to read a bit more, in which he would introduce the next Washington player to have his number retired — until he realized it was him.

Yes, that’s right. The Commanders are doing the right thing by finally retiring Green’s No. 28 jersey.

Green became emotional once he realized he would have his jersey retired, and his family quickly joined him.

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Joining Green’s family were minority owner Mitchell Rales—who grew up a Washington fan—former teammates and current team executives Martin Mayhew and Doug Williams, and team president Jason Wright. General manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn later embraced Green — all wearing his famed No. 28 jersey.

Green said he was humbled by the honor.

“It means a ton to me,” Green said via John Keim of ESPN. “I never thought about this, never dreamed about it, never asked about it, whatever. But when it was spoken to me, it blew me away. It caught me. It touched something down on the inside of me that I didn’t know was there. So now I’m very humbled by this, but this is huge. This is a big deal, and I’m grateful for that. And I’m that guy that played the whole career here, wasn’t chasing the money and stuff, and it just kind of, in many ways, it just validated, man, I made the right decision.”

Managing partner Josh Harris and minority owner Magic Johnson spoke to Green via video.

Harris released a statement via the team’s website:

A first-round pick in the 1983 NFL draft, Green played 20 years for the Redskins, had 54 career interceptions, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

Green is the fifth player in franchise history to have his number officially retired.

Commanders decline LB Jamin Davis’ 5th-year option

Jamin Davis will be a free agent next March.

The Washington Commanders are declining linebacker Jamin Davis’ fifth-year option, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.

Davis, the No. 19 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, will become a free agent next March.

In three NFL seasons, Davis has played in 45 games with 36 starts. Davis has recorded 269 tackles, including 20 for loss, 10 quarterback hits, seven sacks and one interception.

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Davis struggled as a rookie in 2021 but has improved in each of the past two seasons. However, with a new general manager (Adam Peters) and coach (Dan Quinn), Washington made significant investments at linebacker, signing Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner in free agency.

The former Kentucky star has also battled off-field issues. Davis faced two charges of reckless driving and is named as a defendant in a civil case along with cornerback Benjamin St-Juste and former safety Deshazor Everett that alleges the three were racing in Loudoun County. Everett crashed, and his girlfriend, Olivia Peters, was killed. Peters’ mother, Kathleen, filed the lawsuit late last year.

Daniel Jeremiah changes his pick for the Commanders in his final mock draft

Daniel Jeremiah makes his final pick.

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, in his first few mock drafts, had North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye going to the Washington Commanders.

Not anymore. In his final mock draft ahead of Round 1 of the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday, Jeremiah changed his pick to LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.

As we come down the home stretch, the whispers of Washington’s preference for Daniels have become a roar. I’m sure the Commanders have had suitors looking to acquire this pick — including the Raiders — but I don’t see GM Adam Peters passing on the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.

Jeremiah acknowledged earlier in the week that while in his gut, he thought Peters would choose Maye, the whispers were far too strong to ignore, and he would switch his pick to Daniels.

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No surprise. Since ESPN’s Adam Schefter came out strong that he believed Daniels would be the pick weeks ago, the momentum quickly shifted to Daniels, where it had been somewhat close in February and March.

While no one knows what Peters will do on Thursday, there’s too much smoke. Daniels will be Washington’s quarterback in 2024 and beyond.

One NFL insider said he will ‘put my name’ on Jayden Daniels to the Commanders

Another NFL insider strongly believes the Commanders will pick Daniels.

ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter has insisted for a few weeks now that everything points to LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels going No. 2 overall to the Washington Commanders in the 2024 NFL draft.

On Tuesday — two days before the first round of the draft — another well-connected NFL insider also believes Daniels is heading to Washington.

Peter Schrager of Fox Sports and “Good Morning Football” was a guest on the “Pat McAfee Show” Tuesday and said he’d put his name on Daniels at No. 2.

“I feel like the last few days things have settled a bit, and I don’t know if there have been conversations with Dan Quinn or with Kliff Kingsbury, but from all the intel that I’m gathering, it sounds like Daniels to the Commanders is a lot more likely than it might have been on Friday,” Schrager said.

Schefter said Washington fans could go ahead and buy their Daniels’ jerseys two weeks ago. While he hasn’t reported Daniels to Washington — because the Commanders have told no one of their intentions — the intel he received from numerous sources has led him to strongly believe it will be Daniels at No. 2.

It would be a surprise if the pick is anyone other than Daniels on Thursday night.

Commanders resisting all offers for the second overall pick

The Commanders are not interested in trading the No. 2 pick, echoing what Adam Peters said last week.

When Washington general manager Adam Peters met with the media for his pre-draft press conference last week, he was asked about potentially trading the second overall pick in this week’s 2024 NFL draft.

“We feel great about staying at No. 2,” Peters said. “I don’t see a whole lot of scenarios where we’d trade down, to be honest.”

Here we are, less than 48 hours from the first round of the draft, and teams have tried to tempt the Commanders with trade offers, but that’s not happening, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic.

What does this mean? The Commanders have their quarterback. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is the overwhelming favorite to be Washington’s pick after months of back and forth between Daniels and Drake Maye (North Carolina).

The Raiders, who are thought to covet Daniels due to head coach Antonio Pierce’s relationship with him from their time at Arizona State, made overtures to Washington but were rebuffed.

With nine picks in this year’s draft, the Commanders are a prime candidate to move back into the first round, likely for an offensive tackle.