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Daily Slop – 21 Apr 25 – It’s draft week!

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NFC Divisional Playoffs: Washington Commanders v Detroit Lions
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A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, and a sprinkling of other stuff

Commanders links

Articles

Pro Football Talk

Jayden Daniels: It’s a whole new year, I have to prove myself again

“You’re always trying to find little ways to get better,” Daniels said on Gruden Goes Long. “For me, it’s like, ‘Last year was last year, that’s great.’ But it’s a whole new year now. I still got to go out there, I’ve gotta prove myself to my teammates, the organization, each and every day that I’m getting better. When it’s time to prepare and when those games come, I’ve got to know that, ‘Hey, how can I eliminate some tendencies?’ Stuff like that, because that’s the big thing. Coaches are always trying to find tendencies of what this player is going to do so they can anticipate and hopefully get you in that situation.”

It’s easy to imagine that having more time in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense and the experience of an NFL season will make Daniels an even better player in 2025, but improvement isn’t guaranteed and other players have taken a step back once the league adjusts to them. Daniels’s awareness of that possibility should help his chances of avoiding it.

Commanders Wire

Commanders’ Jayden Daniels talks adversity and remaining consistent

“I think where I found myself getting better was that rough stretch when we lost three in a row,” expressed Daniels. “Adversity is going to tell you a lot of who you are as a man. When we lost three in a row, we didn’t win for almost a month. You know, it sucks.”

Gruden bluntly asked Daniels, “How are you handling the success and keeping yourself focused?”

“None of this is going to happen without the play on the field,” replied Daniels. “So, you got to keep the main thing, the main thing. But I got a great team around me (personal), and Washington has a great PR (public relations) team. And obviously Dan Quinn and Adam Peters do a great job if I need something, or if I need help or advice, and I can go to them at any time.”

Bullock’s Film Room

Mock Draft Monday: 3 Commanders Mock Drafts

Scenario 1

I was hoping to get a trade back offer in this first scenario but the phone wasn’t ringing. One of the worst case scenarios for the Commanders happened here. All of the top edge rushers were gone. There was a run in the late teens on the top guys and then the Ravens took Donovan Ezeiruaku at 27 while the Lions took James Pearce Jr at 28. I probably wouldn’t have taken Pearce anyway, but it meant there wasn’t great value in an edge rusher at 29. With no trade offers available, I had to look at other positions. I strongly considered Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka as one of the top talents available, as well as UNC running back Omarion Hampton. But I decided to go defense.

First round, pick 29 – Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss

I decided to go cornerback with my first pick instead of taking one of the offensive weapons available.

Scenario 2

Having failed to land a trade in my first mock, I was more determined to trade back in my second. However, I got a rare and fun scenario worth taking a look at, so opted against trading back, despite having multiple offers to do so.

Sports Illustrated

Award winning offensive lineman says he’s met with Commanders

In a recent interview with The Draft Network, Rimington Trophy-winning center Seth McLaughlin shared, “I’ve met with a handful of teams virtually since the NFL Combine. I recently met with the Commanders, Cowboys, and Saints. I’ve met with a good little group. I’ve had a lot of fun in those meetings.”

The Rimington Trohpy is awarded annualy to college football’s premier centers. The fact McLaughlin won the award despite suffering a season-ending injury in mid-November is both impressive and a testitment to his abilities.

Part of his skillset that has impressed evaluators this draft season is his football IQ, something he shared in the same interview is something he’s trying to showcase during these meetings.

“I’m an intelligent player, so it’s been fun to highlight my football IQ in those meetings. I’ve been breaking down film and explaining how we did things at Ohio State. I’ve been relaying that information back to NFL teams using their verbiage,” McLaughlin says.

McLaughlin, in part due to his injury which figures to keep him out of football activities until at least mid-August, is currently a Day 3 projection in the upcoming NFL Draft, but may be worth the gamble given his proven track record of success on the field.

Podcasts & videos

NFC East links

Pro Football Talk

Howie Roseman: Big Dom is the best in the NFL at finding out about players’ red flags

Roseman credited DiSandro, whose full job title is “senior advisor to the general manager/chief security officer/gameday coaching operations,” for being integral to the Eagles’ evaluation of potential draft picks. Roseman said the Eagles want to know that every player they draft has the kind of character that will fit the team’s culture, and Roseman said no one is better at determining that than DiSandro.

“We do have objective criteria that we look at to take players off our board,” Roseman said. “We start with these basic principles of, ‘We will not draft because of this.’ When we get past those guys, then we obviously have a process we go through. That starts with Dom. I don’t think there’s any doubt that he’s the best in the National Football League, and in my opinion all of sports, at what he does. His ability to not only gather information but have a feel for people. And then we just have to make judgments. In those situations, those are a little more subjective, and that’s based on all the information we get.”

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