Thursday night’s first round of the NFL draft had just concluded, and the Commanders were a bit surprised.
Washington Commanders new general manager Adam Peters sat down with the Commanders Brian Koba Jr to discuss his leading his initial Washington Commanders draft last week.
Illinois defensive tackle and Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year Johnny Newton had been mocked by most analysts for going somewhere in the 20s in the first round. Yet Newton had not been selected in the first round.
“We were ecstatic,” opened Peters. “After Thursday night, you look at your board, and Johnny was really an outlier on our board. We were looking at each other, and we talked about it Thursday night and again Friday morning.”
“We got a ton of calls Friday from teams wanting to trade up (to No. 36). In the end, we said, if Johnny’s there, we got to take him, even though maybe that wasn’t the biggest position of need. He was clearly the highest player on our board. He’s a game wrecker. He fits what we do perfectly, and he fits everything that a commander is really.”
The Commanders got a steal in Johnny Newton.
Loved this quote from @MaxChadwickCFB yesterday. He knows him well and says he’s angry about not going in the first round and he’s going to make teams pay. pic.twitter.com/Yl48vXR3hU
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) April 30, 2024
Peters liked that Newton is tough, smart, and violent, a team captain, and everything the Commanders wanted. “So, we were happy to pull the trigger on that one.”
The former UCLA Bruin defensive end spoke of how his current defensive tackle starters, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, are both great examples for Newton to follow. “The way they work, the way they go about their business, anytime you can have that situation, it’s awesome.”
According to Peters, head coach Dan Quinn already has a vision of attempting to have all three (Allen, Payne and Newton) on the field at the same time. “It’s not like he is going to be a backup and not playing a whole lot. He’s going to get on the field, he’s going to play. We’re going to rotate those guys, keep those guys fresh, so they can get after it, too.”