Picking the best Round 1 draft target for the Commanders after the first wave of NFL free agency
The 2024 NFL season has officially arrived after the first wave of free agency. Now, teams are in full offseason mode as they continue to build their roster.There will be more moves made across the league over the coming days and weeks, but the next big step toward filling everything out will be the NFL […]
The 2024 NFL season has officially arrived after the first wave of free agency. Now, teams are in full offseason mode as they continue to build their roster.
There will be more moves made across the league over the coming days and weeks, but the next big step toward filling everything out will be the NFL Draft in April.
But until then, let's review what the Commanders should do with the No. 2 overall pick now that they've answered some questions in free agency.
Commanders should still draft LSU QB Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft
The Commanders signed Marcus Mariota to a one-year, $6 million deal in free agency, which tells you all you need to know about the kind of quarterback Kliff Kingsbury wants to run his offense: a mobile one.
Daniels can certainly move, evidenced by his 1,134 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns in 2023, and has the deep speed to outrun defenders for massive chunks of yards.
Daniels' deep ball is an absolute weapon, as well. Per Pro Football Focus, he led all quarterbacks with a 69.3% completion rate on passes of 20+ air yards, which was over 14% better than second-place Jalen Milroe. He also led the same 40 quarterbacks with at least 54 passing attempts in yards per attempt on deep balls (24.5), big-time throw rate (45.0%), and adjusted completion percentage (69.1%).
The biggest knock with Daniels is his size. He's a bit wiry at 6-foot-4, 210-pounds and he doesn't have great play strength. Meaning, he may be good at outrunning a sack, but if a defender gets their hands on him – he's hitting the turf. Considering the current state of Washington's offensive line, that's not ideal. He also subjects himself to both big and unnecessary hits, which needs to stop.
There's also a question about his short accuracy, which can be inconsistent. But, overall, the downsides of Daniels' game can be coached up and developed – he has all the elite tools to be one of the most explosive QBs in the game.
Will the Commanders trade Sam Howell?
On a side note: It'll be interesting to see what happens with Howell. It looked like he was the Commanders' QB of the future about midway through the season, but things fell off during the back half of the year. It's also fair to wonder if Howell is a fit in the new offense.
A trade would probably net somewhere around a fourth- or fifth-rounder, which isn't bad return. At the same time, however, Howell carries just a $1.075,400 cap hit in 2023 and Daniels' first-year cap hit would be manageable, as well. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have three capable QBs on the roster.
The ultimate idea behind trading Howell would be giving him a chance to play elsewhere, instead of potentially getting buried on a depth chart or becoming a late-camp cut. A trade would ultimately help Howell push toward a starting gig.
Final word
Daniels makes a ton of sense for this offense and his draft stock should only continue to climb. His Pro Day is the next big step and could really lock him in the top-3 if he balls out like he's expected to.
Previous pick: UNC QB Drake Maye
