Commanders 7-round 2024 NFL mock draft: Filling needs edition

Commanders draft Donovan Jackson

• Offensive Line | Ohio State Buckeyes
• No. 40 overall

This is my first reach. But I don’t consider it a gamble at all.

I think Donovan Jackson slides down some draft boards because he doesn’t do any one thing exceptionally well. He is not enormous. He doesn’t bulldoze defenders. He is not a premiere pulling guard.

So why do I want him? He has all those attributes, even if nothing particularly stood out during his productive college career at Ohio State.

If he doesn’t overwhelm with his power, he is great at using leverage to drive interior defenders out of the hole. If his feet aren’t as good as Joe Thomas’, they are good enough to stay in front of most pass rushers.

Jackson is a smart player - picking up free rushers and making good decisions on stunts and double teams. That is something the Washington Commanders are sorely lacking from their current interior linemen.

I don’t think Jackson is a perennial Pro Bowler. It’s possible I could have waited and gotten him later on during the draft process. But I think that if you put him next to Joe Alt, you have an above-average left side of your offensive line for the next decade.

Others to consider: Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Kaden Elliss, Patrick Paul.