In his first draft as general manager of the Washington Commanders, Adam Peters chose nine players. Six of them were among the top 100 picks.
Peters had already added several veterans through free agency, but this was going to be the real start of the rebuild. For a man who came from the San Francisco 49ers franchise, building through the draft would be essential. Those nine picks were going to lay the groundwork for a renaissance in Washington.
Last year, it looked pretty good.
Of the three late picks, seventh-round edge rusher Javontae Jean-Baptiste showed genuine promise. Fifth-round linebacker Jordan Magee was injured for part of the year but seemed poised to have a breakout season in Year 2. Only sixth-rounder Dominique Hampton really struggled as he transitioned from safety to linebacker.
Commanders are not seeing the desired growth from 2024 draft class
They were merely the bonus picks. It was in the top 100 where Peters would shine or falter.
Two of them — Mike Sainristil and Brandon Coleman — were key contributors as rookies. Three others — Johnny Newton, Ben Sinnott, and Luke McCaffrey — didn’t contribute as much, but hope remained high that they would all step up in their sophomore seasons. And of course, there was Jayden Daniels, the crown jewel of the class.
Daniels was the consensus NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. For the first time since 2012, it appeared Washington had solved its quarterback position.
He is still Washington’s future. Daniels has not played as well in his second season, due to nagging injuries and the holdout of his chief weapon, Terry McLaurin. He remains a talented signal caller.
In truth, the thing that has diminished Daniels has not been the falloff in his own play, but the emergence of the two quarterbacks picked on either side of him in the 2024 draft.
Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are leading their teams into the playoffs. The latter is getting buzz as an NFL MVP candidate. Washington fans should still be thrilled with Daniels, but the gap between him and those other quarterbacks does not seem nearly as big as it did last year.
Unfortunately, Daniels is the only player from the draft class who remains a surefire part of the Commanders' long-range plans. The others have either fallen off or else not stepped enough to make a difference this year.
Pro Football Focus grades are not always perfect, but they paint a pretty clear picture of the 2024 draft class. The only player with a significantly improved grade in his second season is Jean-Baptiste, and he has only played 60 snaps this year due to injury.
Coleman’s grade is the same as last year. However, he has lost his starting job and is on pace to play fewer than 300 snaps this year, compared to the 787 he accumulated as a rookie.
Daniels, Newton, Sainristil, and Magee have all regressed, some by a great deal. Sinnott and McCaffrey have not played enough to achieve grades. In the wide receiver's case, it is due to injury. He actually was beginning to flash some play-making talent before getting hurt.
As for Sinnott, he hasn’t played well enough to earn snaps. He should get his chance in the final month of the season because of the injury to starter Zach Ertz.
At this point, Sinnott and Newton look like ineffectual busts. Coleman has fallen down the depth chart, and there are significant questions about whether the 5-foot-9, 183-pound Sainristil can thrive in any role. Daniels and McCaffrey offer some hope, but both are now hurt.
These are still all young players who could take steps forward in the next year, but things look a lot darker today than they did a year ago.
Back then, the future was promising, and the 2024 draft class was leading the way. Now, that class may become an albatross for Peters to learn from.