Daily Slop – 20 Apr 24: “If anybody tells you they know how the 1st round is going to play out, they are full of s—.”

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Washington Post (paywall)

How will the top of the NFL draft go? Even veteran GMs have no idea.

Four quarterbacks are almost certain to make up picks 1-4, but good luck finding NFL executives who agree in what order those four will go — or who even want to venture an educated guess about it.

“Never seen anything like it,” said a high-ranking official with one team that will be selecting a quarterback in the first round. “If anybody tells you they know how this is going to play out, they are full of s—.”

After Caleb Williams goes to the Chicago Bears with the first pick, it seems anything is on the table. Usually by now, there is at least some consensus within NFL front offices about the first 10 picks; this year, not so much. The teams making those picks have done a great job keeping their intentions quiet. In some order, LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy and North Carolina’s Drake Maye will come off the board next, with at least one via trade. (Of the half-dozen decision-makers I spoke with in recent days, all believe the Arizona Cardinals are trading out of the fourth spot.)

“Drake Maye is the biggest wild card in all of this,” said the general manager of a team that has done significant work on quarterbacks. “Some guys love him and think he could end up the best QB in this class, and some legitimately think he’s a mid-round pick.”

“When you do your mock draft, I’d put six [quarterbacks] in the first 16 [picks],” the first executive said. “They are going to fly off the board and the offensive linemen, too.”

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NBC Washington

As the NFL draft nears and rumors swirl, Adam Peters proves a new era is here for Commanders

The dogma of the predraft process in the NFL, especially at the quarterback position, typically means individual visits and meetings. There are teams that eschew that conventional process at times, notably San Francisco and New England, though Washington went far away from the norm.

The Commanders hosted about 20 prospects at once, including the four QBs, first for an outing at Top Golf in Ashburn followed by individual meetings the following day.

Peters got skewered for the idea nationally, though he seems unbothered.

“What was cool is while we got to see them all together in a group setting at Top Golf, which was really fun, and I think everybody had a great time and it was very beneficial to see everybody in a more relaxed environment. They all got a lot of time individually with their coaches, with us, where they were staggered coming in too, so it wasn’t like they were sitting in a room together. They all had their own individual time with everybody. So, it worked out really well.”

A few things are becoming clear about Peters, who was hired in January. He doesn’t say much, and he doesn’t care about outside opinions.

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ESPN

Commanders can change franchise trajectory in 2024 NFL draft

The organization has not made the playoffs in consecutive seasons since it made five consecutive trips from 1989-93. Since that time, Washington has only had consecutive winning seasons once (2015-16). The franchise was a combined three games over .500 in that span.

In the past year the Commanders have a new owner (Josh Harris), general manager (Peters) and head coach (Dan Quinn). They can continue building momentum with a strong draft.

One league source said the direction “has already been changed” considering the number of free agents they’ve already brought in.

Indeed, Washington signed 22 free agents in addition to re-signing four of its own. The Commanders added at least eight new starters via free agency, including linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu and tight end Zach Ertz. They also added third-down back Austin Ekeler.

“He’s got a massive decision in front of him, starting with his very first pick,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “So that’s a lot of pressure. That’s difficult when you are just coming together with a coach and a general manager, not to mention new owner, new organization and trying to learn your existing roster. They were very aggressive in free agency in terms of bringing in a lot of guys. So trying to make all these pieces fit. And then, oh, by the way, right away you’ve got to make a call on the quarterback position and make sure that you get that right.”

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Commanders.com

Round-by-round breakdown | 10 players who could be available in the 3rd round

Adisa Isaac, DE, Penn State: While Isaac’s running mate, Chop Robinson, has the intangibles that will excite scouts, the 2023 team captain has a long, productive history with the Nittany Lions. He’s coming off a career season, recording 37 tackles with 7.5 sacks. He’s not an athletic freak like Robinson, but he is a quality player who will fit right in with an NFL pass-rush rotation.

Khyree Jackson, CB, Oregon: Jackson, a First Team All-Pac-12 selection, saw his production jump dramatically in 2023, recording 34 tackles (25 solo) with two sacks and three interceptions. Most of that is based on a lack of opportunity, as he only had 14 starts in his college career. If a team can get past that, there’s a lot to like about his skill set, from his ability to bat away contested passes to his willingness to provide run support.

Theo Johnson, TE, Penn State: Johnson is an obvious pick for a team in need of a receiving tight end. He grabbed 54 receptions for 369 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final two seasons, including a team-tying seven in 2023. Run blocking is not his thing, though, so much of his rookie season will be spent developing that part of his skill set.

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Washington Times

LOVERRO: Race to land Commanders down to Maryland, District. And things are about to get real…

District officials are making plans to create a stadium authority that would be used as a funding mechanism for a new football stadium for the Commanders on the RFK site.

DC Events is the quasi-government arm of the District that manages sports and entertainment facilities in the city.

It could cost the city at least $1 billion for its share of a new stadium on the RFK site — the land owned by the federal government but soon may be under the control of the city.

Legislation to lease the land to the District for 99 years passed the House in February and soon may come up for a vote in the Senate.

It’s not clear how much public money will be committed to a new Commanders stadium. Owner Josh Harris is involved in a battle with his Philadelphia business partners to build a new $1.5 billion downtown arena for his Philadelphia 76ers — with no public money.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has made it clear he intends to fight for the Commanders to remain in Prince Georges County. The state has already approved $400 million for redevelopment near Commanders Field (FedEx opted out of its naming rights deal with the team last year).

Virginia? A joke after its latest debacle with Transparent Ted’s fumbled Alexandria arena. Then again, it’s never been a serious contender, with two failed attempts to create a Virginia Stadium Authority and no viable location for a new stadium.

The team made a move to energize the lobbying for a new stadium this week by hiring Capitol Hill veteran Kirtan Mehta as vice president of public affairs. Mehta, a lawyer who has worked for Sen. John Hickenlooper and Sen. Joe Manchin, “will focus heavily on the team’s development of a new stadium, including liaising with key outside stakeholders, including elected officials, league officials, fans, sponsors and community organizations,” according to the team’s press release.

“Kirtan is a skilled leader with a wealth of experience building relationships and ensuring organizations positively impact the communities they represent,” team President Jason Wright said in a statement.

The team release said Mehta graduated from Northwestern University in 2004 — the same time Wright played football and attended school there.

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Commanders.com

Andre Jones wants to play fast, make progress in Year 2

Andre Jones Jr. achieved a “lifelong dream” when he made it to the NFL last year. As the No. 233 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, there was no guarantee that he would even make the Washington Commanders’ roster, let alone appear in an actual game.

Jones, however, ended up being one of the best stories to come out of Washington’s training camp by impressing his coaches during the joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens. He ended up earning a spot on the team’s initial 53, appearing in 14 games with two starts.

Now that one of his biggest goals has been a reality for nearly a year, it’s time for him to focus on the next one: build on what he learned as a rookie and make a bigger impact.

“It was a lot of learning and a lot of thinking,” Jones said of his rookie season. “The only thing I want to do is take the positives out of everything last year.”

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Nick Allegretti is here to be a LEADER | Free Agency Friday | Command Center

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NFL.com

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott on lack of contract talks: ‘I don’t fear’ playing with another team after 2024

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott seems much more open to the possibility of taking his talents elsewhere after 2024.

“I’m not going to say I fear being here or not. I don’t fear either situation, to be candid with you,” Prescott said Friday from the Children’s Cancer Fund Gala, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “I love this game and love to play and love to better myself as a player and my teammates around me. Right now it’s with the Dallas Cowboys, it’s where I want to be, and that’s where I am, and that’s the focus. And after the season we’ll see where we’re at and if the future holds that. And if not, we’ll go from there.”

Prescott has one year remaining on his current contract, a four-year, $160 million deal signed in 2021, and had said early in March that he was “definitely confident” that he and the Cowboys would be able to get an extension done.

But that confidence was thrown into question over the course of the month. Owner Jerry Jones said, “I don’t fear that,” when asked about this season possibly being Prescott’s last in Dallas, followed by reports that the team had a mutual understanding with the quarterback that they would not adjust his contract before the 2024 season.

Prescott confirmed Friday that he and Jones had not had contract discussions at this point, though he said they had conversations on the situation and were “aligned” with where things stand at the moment. But he did not rule out the possibility of the sides talking in the future, even as he tries to keep his attention on preparing for the season ahead.

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