Former Washington GM Scot McCloughan was a guest on the “Al Galdi Podcast” Wednesday morning.
McCloughan served as Washington’s GM during the 2015 and 2016 seasons, before being dismissed. McCloughan currently works as an NFL draft consultant for a few NFL teams and also for a few agents who pay for his services.
Here are some excerpts from McCloughan’s discussion with Galdi.
“I think they (Commanders) have an excellent front office. It doesn’t always pan out every year as you want it to. But I think they are doing the right thing, going in the right direction.”
“I didn’t think they were too high (on Jahan Dotson). He is a win-win from the standpoint as a receiver. I watched a lot of the better corners this year that played against him. He was definitely, as a slot type of receiver, very tough to cover. He was always getting open and has excellent ball skills, which is huge…”
“But also you have to throw in the punt-return ability. I think that puts him (Dotson) above some other receivers because he is a dual-threat. And he is a legit dual-threat, if they want him as a punt returner.”
“I just know this, when you watch him (Dotson) he was very tough to cover on the outside and inside. He was always getting open, so you can put him where you want to put him. His play speed and quickness is going to take over. I thought it was a good pick. To be able to move back and get him, I thought was an excellent job.”
“I like (Sam) Howell, I really do. Going into the season I thought he might have a chance to be a top-10 QB (pick) in the draft. I think it proved out this year where he lost the weapons… And this year the numbers weren’t bad, he just lost the talent that he had around him. I think he started forcing some things later in the year. But I (still) had him rated higher than they drafted him (5th round). I think it is a really good pick there.”
“I think you have a chance there for sure to have a solid number two (QB). But he has a chance to be a starter. I think he has the mental makeup, the toughness, the mental competitiveness and he definitely has the arm talent. He just needs to refine some mechanics in my opinion. I think it was a really good pick; especially where they got him.”
“The negative from the get-go is you expect to be drafted earlier and you are not. The right ones come with a chip on their shoulder, understand to just keep their mouth shut more than talk early, and just learn from the vet, the coaching staff, learn what they want. Just keep working and working. It might not be year one or year two, maybe not even year three. Matt Hasselback was behind Brett Favre, but just kept working and became a pretty good quarterback.”
“So you hope Sam comes in with that chip on his shoulder, and I believe he will. Understand, there is not a lot of pressure on him right now, not having to step into the spotlight right away. I think he is smart enough and has the talent to be an NFL quarterback. It doesn’t matter if you are drafted in the 5th, the 7th, or the 3rd.”
There was much more. If you don’t listen to McCloughan and Galdi, he did say he had DT Phidarian Mathis out of Alabama rated as a later part of round two selection. He said he respects Mathis because he does the dirty work, and did not take plays off.
McCloughan expressed Brian Robinson Jr is a no-nonsense runner. He likes the fact that Robinson did not have a lot of contact in his college years and will help Washington this season, though he is not a home run type of runner.
Finally, he said that once he and Jay Gruden told Bruce Allen and Dan Snyder that Kirk Cousins should be the starter in 2015 over Colt McCoy and Robert Griffin, both Allen and Snyder relented, trusting Gruden and McCloughan. Thus all four were on the same page during the 2015 season.