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.