Commanders News: Sam Howell, Emmanuel Forbes, Terry McLaurin and 2024 draft

Which Washington Commanders news stories are hitting the headlines as the team gets set to resume football activities heading into Week 6?

Week 5 was a dramatic one around the league. The Washington Commanders could do little but relax and watch things unfold after their Thursday Night Football beatdown at home to the Chicago Bears, which hopefully provided the motivation needed to give a good account of themselves during a critical stretch of games leading up to the midseason point.

Two other NFC East teams also lost, which is something. Heading into preparations for Week 6, the stories causing conversation include Sam Howell's franchise credentials, Terry McLaurin's rallying cry, Ron Rivera's assessment of Emmanuel Forbes, and where the Commanders currently stand in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Let's delve into each topic in more detail.

Commanders 2024 NFL Draft standing through five weeks

It's a little early to be looking at where the Washington Commanders sit in the 2024 NFL Draft. There is a lot of football left and Ron Rivera won't be throwing in the towel on his team's hopes, but scouts behind the scenes will already be working tirelessly to identify prospects of interest ahead of the all-important assessment period.

According to Tankathon, the Commanders currently hold the No. 11 overall selection in 2024 after three straight losses. They have seven picks overall and looking at how things are unfolding, there will be multiple key needs to fill.

• Round No. 1 (No. 11 overall)
• Round No. 2 (No. 42 overall)
• Round No. 3 (No. 73 overall)
• Round No. 4 (No. 114 overall)
• Round No. 5 (No. 150 overall)
• Round No. 6 (No. 190 overall)
• Round No. 7 (No. 232 overall)

This is likely to change significantly depending on results around the league and compensatory picks. One also has to ask if Rivera will be around to oversee another draft process if he cannot galvanize his troops over the remaining 12 games.