Tag: Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint

Undrafted Georgia WR named UDFA with best chance to make Commanders’ roster

Can this UDFA wideout make Washington’s 53-man roster?

The Washington Commanders received high marks from almost everyone for their 2024 NFL draft class. Led by quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Commanders drafted six players in the first three rounds — nine overall — who could make an impact next season.

After the draft, Washington signed one of the league’s top groups of undrafted free agents. The Commanders spent heavily on several players, including cornerback Chigozie Anusiem, quarterback Sam Hartman and safety Tyler Owens.

All have a legitimate shot at making Washington’s 53-man roster. Another UDFA with a good chance of making the Commanders’ roster is wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint.

Justin Melo of The Draft Network named Rosemy-Jacksaint as the UDFA with the best chance of making Washington’s roster.

Here’s part of what Melo said about Rosemy-Jacksaint’s chances:

Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson are the go-to receivers in Washington’s offense. I could see Rosemy-Jacksaint eventually developing into the No. 3 or 4 wideout. He should push Dyami Brown, Olamide Zaccheaus, and Jamison Crowder for a role. The Commanders drafted just one receiver in 2024, using a third-round compensatory pick on Luke McCaffrey.

Special teams may provide Rosemy-Jacksaint with the quickest pathway to prove he deserves to crack Washington’s 53-man roster. The former Bulldogs standout is an experienced special teams player. Rosemy-Jacksaint possesses the profile of a gunner who will try his hardest to be the first player to provide coverage down the field.

The reason Rosemy-Jacksaint wasn’t drafted is likely due to his athletic profile. While he has good size (6-foot-1, 195), he didn’t run the 40 at the NFL combine but reportedly ran it in 4.84 seconds at Georgia’s pro day.

That cost him, but he can play. Rosemy-Jacksaint has big, strong hands, can make contested catches, and, on film, runs well after the catch. His game speed looks much different from his timed speed. He opened some eyes at the rookie minicamp with this one-handed grab.

There are only three guarantees at wide receiver for Washington: McLaurin, Dotson and McCaffrey. Then, you have a mix of veterans and young players battling for at least three spots.

As Melo noted, if Rosemy-Jacksaint delivers on special teams, he has an excellent chance of making Washington’s roster. He will also probably need to stand out in the preseason games. Due to Washington’s depth behind the top three, there is a clear path for Rosemy-Jacksaint to eventually land on the Commanders’ final 53.

Commanders sign WR Damiere Byrd

The Commanders sign a WR with ties to Kliff Kingsbury.

The Commanders signed a veteran wide receiver on Wednesday.

After working out some receivers on Wednesday, the Commanders determined that they would be signing Damiere Byrd, per Tom Pelissero.

The 5-foot-9, 175-pound veteran played his college ball at South Carolina and was undrafted. He was signed first by Ron Rivera and the Carolina Panthers.

Three seasons in Carolina (2016-18) resulted in 12 receptions for 129 yards and two receiving touchdowns.

Why did the Commanders go with Byrd? A very logical explanation may be that Byrd has playing experience under new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. In 2019, Byrd spent one season with the Cardinals and Kingsbury. He was on the receiving end of 32 passes for 359 yards and one touchdown.

2020 Byrd enjoyed career highs when he caught 47 passes for 604 receiving yards playing for the New England Patriots.

Byrd caught 26 passes for 329 yards in 2021 for the Chicago Bears before moving again, this time to the Atlanta Falcons for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. 13 receptions for 268 yards and two touchdowns came in the first season in Atlanta, but only two targets (no receptions) came in his lone game last season.

Here are some big plays receiving and returning by Byrd.

The eight-year veteran turned age 31 in January and is hoping to make the Commanders his sixth NFL team. He will be in a battle with Kazmeir Allen, Dyami Brown, Jamison Crowder, Davion Davis, Dax Milne, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Mitchell Tinsley, Brycen Tremayne and Olamide Zaccheaus for roster spots.

The Commanders really need a few of these receivers to step up this offseason and preseason, as only Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Luke McCaffrey are sure bets to be on the 53-man roster.

Dan Quinn already a big fan of Commanders undrafted rookie wide receiver?

Undrafted rookie WR already catching the eye of Quinn.

The Washington Commanders could use some help at wide receiver. Yes, Washington has Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, but behind those two are either veterans, former draft picks, or undrafted players from the past two draft classes looking to make the roster.

McLaurin, Dotson and third-round pick Luke McCaffrey are the only players guaranteed to make Washington’s 53-man roster. From there, multiple players will battle this summer for at least three positions.

One of those players is UDFA Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint. The 6-foot-1 rookie was a part of two national championship teams at Georgia, catching 63 passes and six touchdowns over his final two college seasons.

During Day 1 of rookie minicamp, Jacksaint was the talk of camp after making this spectacular one-handed catch.

What a catch.

And it appears that Rosemy-Jacksaint already has the attention of head coach Dan Quinn.

This is the time of year when you want to stand out in front of coaches. Rosemy-Jacksaint put the spotlight on himself on the very first day of practice for the rookies. Now, coaches will be paying even closer attention to him throughout OTAs, mandatory minicamp and training camp.

There will be plenty of competition for those final roster spots, but Rosemy-Jacksaint looks to be firmly in the mix.

WATCH: Commanders undrafted WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint with spectacular 1-handed catch

A good start for the undrafted rookie from the University of Georgia.

Jayden Daniels made his on-field debut for the Washington Commanders Friday on the first day of rookie minicamp. While all the hype surrounded Daniels — and rightfully so — several other rookies also made their NFL debuts.

One of those rookies was wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint.

The undrafted Rosemy-Jacksaint made the highlight of the day, catching a one-handed pass in 7-on-7 drills at minicamp.

Check it out:

Rosemy-Jacksaint is a name Washington fans should get to know — not because of this catch.

After a productive career with the Bulldogs, including two national championships, Rosemy-Jacksaint went undrafted, mainly because of his pre-draft testing numbers. However, Rosemy-Jacksaint has solid size (6-foot-1, 195 pounds), with big, strong hands and excellent length.

Washington needs depth at wide receiver. Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Luke McCaffrey are the only guarantees to make the roster. Rosemy-Jacksaint will compete with others, such as Jamison Crowder, Dyami Brown, Olamide Zaccheaus, Mitchell Tinsley, Kazmeir Allen, and others, for two or three spots.

Don’t count out Rosemy-Jacksaint. He needs a strong offseason and preseason to show coaches he should be on the Commanders’ roster, and Friday was a good start.

Commanders’ 2024 UDFA class ranked 6th in NFL

The Commanders had an impressive draft and followed it with a strong UDFA class.

The Washington Commanders have done a good job over the years finding undrafted gems after the NFL draft. Two original members of “The Hogs” were undrafted free agents: Offensive tackle Joe Jacoby and center Jeff Bostic. Jacoby should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Other notable undrafted Washington stars are Neal Olkewicz, Mel Kaufman, Mark Murphy and current Raiders coach Antonio Pierce. Last year, the Commanders had wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley make the 53-man roster. While Tinsley didn’t make an impact in the regular season, he has an opportunity under the new regime.

Washington selected nine players in the 2024 NFL draft and signed 11 undrafted free agents. The Commanders paid big bonuses to at least three of their UDFA signings, led by cornerback Chigozie Anusiem and quarterback Sam Hartman.

So, where does Washington’s class stand against the rest of the NFL?

Thor Nystrom of FantasyPros ranked all 32 UDFA classes, and the Commanders came in at No. 6.

The Commanders followed a smash draft with the No. 6 UDFA class. That crop included six prospects I had ranked in my pre-draft top-300.

The Commanders won the CB Chigozie Anusiem bidding war with $350,000 in total guarantees. Per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, “half the league wanted Anusiem after he went undrafted.” Anusiem broke up 11 balls over the last two seasons at CSU after transferring from Cal. He’s an intriguing size/athleticism developmental flier who probably should have been drafted.

Speaking of size/athleticism freaks, S Tyler Owens is one of the fastest 210-plus-pound humans walking the earth, and he was one inch shy of the NFL Combine’s broad jump record. But his technique and instincts need work on the field, and the latter inarguably needs more work off it. At the NFL Combine, Owens told reporters that he doesn’t “believe in space” or “other planets”, adding “I started seeing flat earth stuff and I was like, this is kind of interesting.” I promise I am not making these quotes up.

Per Nystrom, the Commanders had six prospects he had ranked in his top 300 ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.

Here are three sleepers, according to Nystrom:

Three sleepers to keep an eye on: FB Colson Yankoff, WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, and S Ben Nikkel. All three signings pointed to an all-encompassing, holistic draft process under the new administration. This is why: The trio were all core special-team standouts on their college teams.

Making Washington’s 53-man roster will be competitive in 2024. General manager Adam Peters has done an excellent job of flipping the roster with well over 40 newcomers to the current 90-man roster. However, players at specific positions, such as Anusiem, are intriguing prospects to watch this summer.

 

10 takeaways from American team Senior Bowl practice day 3

The American team had their final practice from the Reese’s Senior Bowl on Thursday. Tyler Forness gave his 10 takeaways from the afternoon

Day three of the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl is here, signifying the final practice before the two teams face off on Saturday.

Senior Bowl week is one of the first premier stops on the road to the NFL draft, and this year’s version has not disappointed. We have seen everything from the usual suspects securing their spots in round one to the virtually unknown prospects becoming household names.

Tyler Forness, Managing Editor for Vikings Wire, has had his finger on the pulse in Mobile from the first snaps of practice. He gives us his ten takeaways from the American team’s final chance to compete before the game and what it could mean for the prospects as their pre-draft process begins.

13 takeaways from American team Senior Bowl practice day 2

From Jamari Thrash to Ladd McConkey, here are 13 takeaways from the second day of practice for the American team at the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl

The National team took the spotlight this morning in the second day of Senior Bowl practices, it was the American team’s turn this afternoon. It was another great day of practice for each team, with some heated battles in both the one-on-one sessions and in team practices.

Managing editor Tyler Forness has boots on the ground in Mobile, and is providing us with some valuable insights on more than 100 NFL draft prospects battling to improve their draft stock this week.

Here are 13 takeaways Forness had from the American team’s practice in this afternoon’s Senior Bowl session.

2024 Senior Bowl preview: Wide receiver

From Ladd McConkey to Malachi Corley and Devontez Walker, the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl wide receiver roster is loaded with talent.

One of the most important events on the National Football League calendar is the Senior Bowl. Held the week after the conference championship games, it is the true beginning of the NFL draft cycle.

Not only do scouts and analysts like us get to see over 100 draft prospects in one place competing against each other, but it’s also an opportunity for analysts and personnel alike to get together and have discussions about a number of topics.

As we look forward to this year’s Senior Bowl, managing editor Tyler Forness will be there in person to break everything down.

We will be breaking down each position group and what to look for throughout the week. Here is the wide receiver position.

Other previews:

Quarterbacks
Running backs
Tight end