Tag: Scot McCloughan

The Commanders are suddenly attracting quality candidates

Times are changing in Washington.

Washington has not attracted a general manager type since Scot McCloughan in 2015.

Then, the franchise aired McCloughan’s dirty laundry and got rid of him. It was the final straw across the league. Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen would not be able to hire those in high demand.

Following Joe Gibbs’ retirement after the 2007 season, Snyder couldn’t get any candidate to take the job. The previous owner had already gone out and foolishly hired Jim Zorn as his offensive coordinator on Jan. 26, 2008. This meant whoever would be the head coach could not hire his own coordinator. What was Snyder thinking?!

After a couple of weeks of rejections and making no progress, the former owner gave up and proceeded on Feb. 9 to promote Zorn (who had never been an NFL coordinator) to be the Redskins head coach.

One foolish move by the former owner was followed by another foolish move by the former owner.

When the former owner fired Jay Gruden, he hired Ron Rivera, who, while with the Carolina Panthers, had actually only achieved three winning seasons. Yet, one of them brought an NFC Championship. The former owner hired Rivera to be not only his coach but his head of player personnel as well.

“Coach-centric” became the oft-used term in Washington.

Was anyone else going to hire Rivera and give him complete control? Even later, the last two seasons witnessed Rivera offering far more for Carson Wentz than anyone else. Then, he not only hired Eric Bieniemy but also handed over the offense to him and gave him the role of Assistant Head Coach. All while, Bieniemy had no one else pursuing his services.

Ah, it is a new era in Washington with the current owner, Josh Harris. The franchise received all sorts of applicants for the general manager job and was also able to hire the guy they wanted, Adam Peters.

Next week, Peters, Harris and his advisors group will embark on hiring the next Washington Commanders head coach.

Things are trending upward, as the franchise will have several top head coaching candidates hoping to be hired by Washington.

There is an old saying, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”

Josh Harris and his leadership group have suddenly transformed the perception around the league of what it means to work for the Washington Commanders.

Former Washington GM is extremely high on rookie CB Emmanuel Forbes

Emmanuel Forbes’ weight was the only thing that kept him from getting a top-10 grade, but overall doesn’t see it as an issue.

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Regardless of what you think of former Washington general manager Scot McCloughan, it’s clear he has plenty of respect from around the NFL.

McCloughan was with Washington for two years until former team president Bruce Allen dismissed him in March 2017. Before his time in Washington, McCloughan was a former GM of the San Francisco 49ers and a top personnel executive for the Seattle Seahawks during a time when they drafted Russell Wilson and the Legion of Boom.

Since leaving Washington, McCloughan went back to running his own scouting service, which a number of NFL teams use. He helped the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles as a consultant in recent years.

McCloughan keeps up with every draft prospect, and while he isn’t right on every player, no one is or has ever been.

Recently, McCloughan was a guest on the “Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast and reviewed Washington’s draft. One thing is clear with McCloughan, he loves football and is never bitter about his time with Washington, even when he has plenty of reason to be.

Now, for his analysis. He’s a big fan of first-round pick cornerback Emmanuel Forbes.

“It’s the only thing that held me back from giving him a top-10 grade, in my opinion,” he said of Forbes’ weight. “I thought athletically, everybody was talking about Christian Gonzalez, being the most, numbers-wise, testing and all that, and he probably was on paper; I thought watching tape this year of all the corners, I thought he [Forbes] was the most gifted, being able to play press and play off. And the thing that’s unique about him playing press, you can well say he isn’t strong enough, he’s got good length, and he’s smart. He reminds me a lot of Richard Sherman, who we drafted in Seattle, from the standpoint where he might not be the quickest, fastest, or have the most twitch, but the son of a gun is always in a play-making position, always gets his hands on the ball and when he does it’s an interception. It changes games.”

McCloughan noted how a much smaller Forbes wasn’t afraid to attack ball carriers in the running game in the rugged SEC, something you don’t often see from other cornerbacks.

What about second-round pick Quan Martin?

McCloughan said, “I might like him even more.”

McCloughan noted how regardless of how many Illinois games you watched of Martin, he was the same in every game, in a good way. He was always good, always reliable, and around the football. Can play anywhere in the secondary and on day one.

McCloughan praised all of Washington’s picks and did say seventh-round pick, Andre Jones, he didn’t see enough to give an evaluation. However, he really likes Ricky Stromberg, Braeden Daniels, Chris Rodriguez Jr. and K.J. Henry. Believes the Commanders found good players throughout the draft.

Scot McCloughan thought Sam Howell had a chance to be a ‘1st-round player’

“It is not so much where you are drafted. It’s what you do once you get there.”

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“I thought he had a chance to be a first-round player.”

That was former Washington General Manager Scot McCloughan, a guest on the Kevin Sheehan Podcast Friday, commenting on current Commanders quarterback Sam Howell.

Pointing to Howell’s competitiveness and arm strength, McCloughan thought Howell could be the first quarterback drafted following the 2020 season.

However, the 2021 season for Howell did not go as well, as he lost some NFL-level teammates at North Carolina. McCloughan pointed to how Howell so many times took to running because his offensive line was not as strong. But he liked Howell’s athletic ability and made the comparison of Baker Mayfield as well.

“He has talent, and I think he showed it against the Cowboys late in the season last year. He showed up, and that is pressure, even if it is not a playoff game. For him to step in and do what he did, shows some moxie. I think that was a good starting point.”

The 2022 draft was not a strong one for quarterbacks, as only Kenny Pickett went in the first round (20th overall). Desmond Ridder (74th), Malik Willis (86th), Matt Corral (94th), Bailey Zappe (137th) followed before Howell’s name was selected at 144th, the first selection of the fifth round.

So why did Howell drop three or four rounds in the draft in the next year? “Something has to come out through the process that is negative about him,” insisted McCloughan. “Something had to have happened after the season ended through the combine, through the Pro Days, through the visits, something happened that was knocking him down.”

“But the kids need to understand; it is not so much where you are drafted. It’s what you do once you get there.”

 

Commanders K.J. Henry has not yet reached his ceiling

The best is yet to come for K.J. Henry.

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He was a five-star defensive stud, recruited by many colleges since his sophomore year in high school.

He went to a Division 1 national contender football powerhouse program.

However, five college seasons later, edge rusher K.J. Henry of Clemson found himself not being drafted until the 5th round (137 overall) in this 2023 NFL draft.

Apparently Henry, according to several scouts is a player who just didn’t develop at Clemson as anticipated. He was considered elite upon his Clemson arrival but certainly not elite when entering the draft.

Henry did not make the top ten of Edge rushers for Pro Football Focus or Pro Football Network. CBS Sports rated him as the 20th edge rusher in this draft class.

One scout stated Henry “Lacks bulk and gets smothered by blockers. Lacks great athletic numbers for the next level.”

Henry’s first three Clemson seasons he registered a surprisingly low two, two and five QB hits. His total QB pressures were 12, 16 and 23.

Consequently, Henry returned for his final fifth year (a redshirt his freshman season). This time his numbers increased gaining the attention of some scouts for the positive. Though he still only managed to achieve 3.5 sacks, Henry did escalate his stat line in all other categories: 51 tackles, and six passes defended in 14 games. Henry also logged an impressive 50 total pressures, 31 QB hurries, and 14 QB hits.

Former Washington general manager Scot McCloughan last week was asked about the Commanders selecting Henry. McCloughan admitted Henry had lacked the expected production but did feel that where they selected him (5th round) the Commanders obtained good value for the pick.

Some scouts have reported Henry might develop as an edge defender in a 3-4 defense. The Commanders play a 4-3 and made him their selection in the fifth round. Perhaps they will make a real attempt to beef up Henry who is listed as 6-foot-4, 251 pounds, keeping him at defensive end.

The young man has exhibited maturity when, for example, he used money he received in his NIL at Clemson to help with medical expenses incurred due to his father’s requiring a kidney transplant.

What does Scot McCloughan think of the Commanders 2023 draft class?

McCloughan is a fan of Sam Howell and loved Washington’s 2023 draft. Had Forbes over Gonzalez and is a huge Chris Rodriguez Jr. fan.

Former Washington Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan provided his opinion Monday regarding the Commanders’ 2023 draft.

McCloughan runs a scouting service and is a resource for NFL teams. He still, to some degree, follows Washington, saying he pulls for them and still sees the NFC East as a fun, competitive division.

A guest on the “Al Galdi Podcast” Monday, McCloughan expressed he really liked Sam Howell in last year’s draft, though Howell lasted until the 5th round. He “proved he would compete and would not back down (in his last year at North Carolina), and I think that shows what you want in a franchise quarterback,” declared McCloughan.

Galdi then inquired of McCloughan’s analysis of each of the Commanders’ draft picks in April’s draft.

Former Washington GM Scot McCloughan is a big fan of new Commanders CB Tariq Castro-Fields

Scot McCloughan is a big fan of Tariq Castro-Fields.

Scot McCloughan spent two years as Washington’s general manager under former team president Bruce Allen. While McCloughan’s personnel record was spotty at times, he remains one of the NFL’s best evaluators, even if he doesn’t work for a team.

McCloughan is always a popular interview around NFL draft time because of his deep knowledge of every prospect. Before his time with Washington, McCloughan was once the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers and remains plugged in with that franchise.

Earlier this summer, McCloughan was a guest on the “49ers Talk” podcast, where he discussed San Francisco’s 2022 draft class. One player McCloughan really liked was sixth-round corner Tariq Castro-Fields. The 49ers released Castro-Fields Tuesday, and he was claimed on waivers by the Washington Commanders Wednesday.

“I think their best bang for the buck was getting Castro-Fields,” McCloughan said per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. “I think he’s a bigger version of Shawntae Spencer. I think he’s going to play, and he’s going to play well.”

The 6-foot-1, 197-pound Castro-Fields is a terrific athlete with plenty of college experience at Penn State. In addition to his ability on the field, Castro-Fields ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. His experience playing in the Big Ten is one of the reasons why McCloughan likes him.

“There are some good receivers who came out of the Big Ten the last couple of years, and he’s a 50-50 guy,” McCloughan said of Castro-Fields. “He competes with them. He doesn’t back down from them. I thought where they got him, that’s a steal. That’s the best pick they had in the draft just because of where they got him.”

There are no guarantees with anyone. But Castro-Fields is the type of player you take a chance with on waivers. He has good size and speed and produced plenty of good tape from his time with Penn State.

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Report: Ex-Redskins GM Scot McCloughan has been consulting the Eagles’ front-office

Scot McCloughan has been consulting Eagles front-office on personnel

The Philadelphia Eagles have made their share of solid personnel decisions over the past few seasons and according to a report from Jimmy Kempski of The Philly Voice, we can thank a dismissed former GM of a division rival for his consultation.

Kempski is reporting that former Redskins GM Scot McCloughan has been assisting the Eagles front office as a consultant for the past three years.

That could explain Howie Roseman being evasive towards the media when asked during his end of season press conference about the Eagles adding a fresh set of eyes to the front office.

It appears McLoughan, one of the NFL’s top personnel men, has been on the job for some time now.

McLoughan runs his own scouting service, ‘Instinctive Scouting’, and he’s seemed to have moved past the allegations of alcohol abuse that plagued him while with the Redskins.

He could find himself in a permanent role if Andrew Berry lands the GM job in Cleveland.

McCloughan was the GM for the Redskins from 2015 to 2016 and has spent time in the front offices of the 49ers, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks.