New Washington general manager Adam Peters wanted to bring some of the things he did in San Francisco, where he served as assistant general manager, to the Commanders.
One of those things is the “Commanders Caucus,” where Peters assembles all of Washington’s executives, coaches, and scouts into one room and gives each one the opportunity to advocate for one lesser-known prospect, according to Sam Fortier of The Washington Post.
When the group convened in April during the NFL draft, the decision was unanimous on the prospect: Temple linebacker Jordan Magee. Therefore, the Commanders used the No. 139 overall pick (fifth round) on Magee.
Assistant general manager Lance Newkirk called it the “ultimate organizational pick.”
Here’s more from Newmark, per Fortier.
“When we met on [Magee], his film and the conversation opened a lot of people’s eyes,” Newmark said. “He really kind of burst on the scene for us.”
Magee became a three-year starter for the Owls and entered the draft. Magee posted good numbers at the NFL combine, which only confirmed what the Commanders saw on his college film.
Since being drafted, coaches and veteran players have praised Magee. The rookie has wisely taken advantage of the opportunity of having future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner as a mentor.
Newmark told Fortier that one person every department spoke up for Magee and that the Commanders, who were without a fourth-round pick, “sweated for a couple of hours” until they were able to get Magee in the fifth round.
Magee has a massive opportunity in front of him. He doesn’t need to play on defense this season, but instead follow Wagner around everywhere and take advantage of his snaps on special teams.
If it wasn’t evident before, the Commanders believe they found a steal with Magee.