10 prospects Commanders should avoid in the 2024 NFL Draft
The Commanders should approach these prospects with extreme caution.
By Jonathan Eig
Each year, a handful of prospects tumble down draft boards. They end up being selected far below their projections, or not being taken at all. Post mortems typically reveal they were removed from many teams' consideration due to health or character concerns. Adam Peters has no doubt taken similar steps with the Washington Commanders.
But in case he needs a little extra help, I’m here to offer it. My prospects to avoid list has little to do with health or character. I have no better insight into those areas than what is being publicly reported. My list has more to do with skill sets and physical tools.
It has more to do with comparables - the way similar draft picks have fared. After examining decades worth of drafts, you can’t help but begin to notice trends and patterns. For example, maybe don’t trade up for a long snapper.
I have no crystal ball. Some of the hopefuls may turn out to have excellent careers. But they are bad bets. I would remove some from my board entirely. Others I would simply move far down my list. I think they are being seriously overvalued and would not take them within at least two rounds of where projections have them tabbed.
This isn’t personal. It’s business. For the Commanders' shake, they should avoid these 10 prospects during the 2024 NFL Draft.
Commanders should avoid Kris Abrams-Draine
- Cornerback | Missouri Tigers
Kris Abrams-Draine had a fine season for the Missouri Tigers in 2023. He is long, fast, and makes good breaks on the ball. He was a first-team All-SEC cornerback in 2023, lining up against plenty of future NFL wide receivers. So what’s not to like?
He is 6-foot-0 and weighs 179 pounds. Watch his tape and you could swear you are looking at Emmanuel Forbes in college.
Abrams-Draine may have more functional strength than Forbes, but I don’t see it. The Washington Commanders should not be making another dart throw at a thin-framed cornerback who may or may not have the physicality to stay with professional receivers. Not when they already have last year's No. 16 pick and Benjamin St-Juste on the roster.
And not in the third-round, which is where Abrams-Draine is projected to go.