Many, many of us watched the Commanders draft selections during last weekend’s 2024 NFL draft.
You might have picked up on a few observations when watching the draft and the subsequent release of the phone calls by the Commanders.
Did you notice Dan Quinn didn’t waste any time? In his welcome to the NFL message to his players, he spoke of being aggressive, tough, physical, kicking a–, etc.
This brought back to my memory how Scot McCloughan sometimes spoke of players he had drafted or claimed as “a football player.” Things like this tend to get us excited — excited prematurely, I might add.
Did you notice general manager Adam Peters spoke of himself being so glad that player was there for them to select? Peters seems to have a gift of being personable, and that can take a man a long way in his career in how he relates to his players, coaches, and staff.
One observation I have noticed many times over the decades of watching the NFL draft is when players talk of winning the Super Bowl next year, being All-Pro, or going to the Hall of Fame.
Wait? What? Do you not reveal how clueless you are talking like that? Dude, you just need to focus on being a worker on the practice field, making the team, and improving your craft. The guys that talk like they are going to be in Canton someday reveal they have no idea of how much work is involved, no idea how many levels of players there are in the NFL.
So, I was glad to hear Commanders players mainly discussing getting to work and working hard. Could it be that Adam Peters and Dan Quinn are already influencing those players’ thinking about how they approach entering the league?
The truth is none of these players yet know what their actual ceiling can be or what it will take to get there. And none of us know where these players are in terms of their development. Some are already close to their ceilings, and there will be disappointment. Some will surprise us as they surpass the expectations placed upon them.