Daily Slop – 11 Apr 24: With two weeks left until the draft, no one outside the organization knows what the Commanders plan to do

A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East and the NFL in general

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audacity.com

SNIDER: Trust no one over Commanders’ pick

Psst – I have a “source” that says the Washington Commanders are taking quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick.

My source is a trusted basement blogger whose second cousin is married to a friend of someone who works in Commanders Park, not in football ops but still hears things in hallways.

Wait, no, I just got off the phone with a “source” that says Washington is all in on Drake Maye. I trust him more than my “source” who delivers food to the park and says he saw a coach watching video of J.J. McCarthy.

Folks, it’s lying season as the NFL approaches the April 25-27 draft. And, NFL personnel don’t consider lying a sin.

There are more smokescreens than a Civil War battlefield. Everyone is lying through backchannels. Everybody is a double agent trading misinformation for more information.

Translation: don’t believe a thing you hear until NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says, “With the second pick of the 2024 draft, the Washington Commanders select…”

Oh wait, ESPN just cut to commercial.

The national media seems centered on Daniels as the Commanders’ pick. But here’s the thing – there’s no penalty for being wrong. They aren’t shamed, lose their jobs or penalized. They just move on to the next pick, so taking a stand on sand rather than granite is easy. They aren’t smacked down for being wrong and talking about “sources.”

This year is harder to crack the Commanders war room than ever. The new owner isn’t telling people. The new team president or GM isn’t leaking trial balloons to favored national media. The new coach isn’t making the decision to tip others.

The Commanders likely won’t make their decision until after Daniels visits on Monday. Whether he can work chalkboard plays, sound like a reasonable person and pass medicals will determine if Washington takes Daniels or Maye, though some inner voice says watch out for McCarthy.

Until then, nobody knows who Washington will take.

The Athletic (paywall)

NFL executives, scouts rank draft’s top QBs: ‘He scares the hell out of me’

2. Jayden Daniels, LSU — 50 (3)

Only Williams and Daniels, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, received first-place votes.

Assistant coach: Daniels is so good. … He is so much better than Maye and McCarthy. It’s not even close. Daniels can play NFL football right now.

Scout 2: Jayden probably made more progress than any quarterback coming out in the last five or six years. He can anticipate, make all the throws and is an explosive athlete. (As a scrambler), he’s not Lamar Jackson or Michael Vick. His ability to process (pre-snap) has improved as a passer, which is hard to do in one year. We know he started working with (virtual reality) this season. Got those VR reps, and that’s when he took off.

Scout 1: High upside but has a ton of room (to grow). It will take a couple of years, and the offense has to be tailored (to him). It’s going to be some wow but some ugly (plays). A lot like Justin Fields.

Former head coach: Jayden is QB2. He can start immediately, but he better learn to protect himself or he’ll be in the cold tub often.

Personnel executive 1: He could end up being the best one. Good athlete and arm talent. I think he sees it and can process. Big drop-off after him and Williams.

3. Drake Maye, North Carolina — 24

If these six passers were ranked on the level of polarization, Maye would be the runaway leader. Following the 2022 season, some circles saw him as Williams’ rival for QB1 draft status due to his prototype 6-foot-4, 223-pound size, deep passing strength, mobility and competitiveness. As a first-time starter, Maye was named ACC Player of the Year.

Following several offseason personnel changes at UNC, including losing offensive coordinator Phil Longo to Wisconsin, Maye’s performance and passing statistics dipped in 2023, especially against higher-end foes. The variance among these sources on Maye ranges from QB2 (Scout 1: “I think he will be the best of the group”) to being outside the top four. The highlight reels are strong, but so is the discussion of regression in decision-making, footwork and fundamentals amid a choppy final college season.

“I know a lot of people look at the ceiling, but you’ve also got to see how low the floor is,” Mayo said last month. “A guy like Drake Maye has a lot of room to grow. He’s a young guy. He hasn’t played football nearly as much (26 starts) as these other guys.”

The panel cited Maye as the quarterback in most need of a redshirt NFL season. That’s logical for a player who turns 22 in August. However, the assessment also shows a lack of clarity about the future.

Current GM: People are going to pick Maye apart. If he ends up being the best of the group, it won’t shock me. He is made of the right stuff.

Simms: If you watch 20 throws, you’ll see good throws. Then … the ball is all over the place. The decision-making can be all over the place, and the pocket presence is all over the place, let alone some mechanical flaws in how he throws the football. It (was) confirmed to me in his pro day, (which) was underwhelming. … He’s got all the size. He’s pretty athletic when he runs. I always hear (Maye is) like Justin Herbert coming out or Josh Allen, and my brain wants to explode.

Assistant coach: Maye is Herbert light. Take everything Herbert does and make it less. They’ll be compared (because of the prototype size), but there’s no comparison. I like Maye, but when I see the amount of work it will take to have him reach his potential, we’ll be fired first.

Personnel executive 1: He scares the hell out of me. Longer thrower with a big arm but not quick release. Nothing feels like it happens in rhythm, and accuracy is average. Needs a year on the bench.

Commanders Wire

As expected Commanders hosting Maye and Daniels next week

Indeed, Adam Peters, Dan Quinn, and owner Josh Harris have wisely not given any indication to anyone in the media who the Commanders will select with that No. 2 overall selection.

The possibility exists that the three may not only be acting wisely to not publicly declare their intentions. Seeing these three quarterbacks are also receiving such varied evaluations from the draft analysts, could it be that the Commanders trio of Peters, Quinn and Harris honestly, have not yet been able to be in unison regarding the selection?

Perhaps, being undecided, the Commanders are still continuing to do their necessary homework. If that is the case, could it be that this final visit/interview for each next week may be the determining factor in the end?

It’s a huge decision for Quinn and Peters. Just last year, the Panthers took Bryce Young, yet the guy selected next was C.J. Stroud, who had a much better rookie season.

Burgundy & Gold Report

Isaac Can Drop the Hammer | NFL Draft

PSU edge rusher Adisa Isaac had a breakout year and is a priority Day 2 option for teams in need of help at the position.

Adisa Isaac

6’4” 247 lbs | DE | PSU

Draft Proj Late 2nd Rd

Career (40 Games)- 92 TAK (47 solo), 13.5 TFL, 14.5 SACKS, 2 FF & 1 FR

‘23 Stats (13 Games)– 37 TAK (23 solo), 16.0 TFL, 7.5 SACKS, 1 FF & 1 FR

In 2022 Isaac returned from injury and played in all 13 games and led the team with 11 tackles for a loss.

Isaac would put it all together in 2023 and was named a team captain. Despite the success of teammate and projected 1st round edge rusher rusher Chop Robinson, Isaac led the Lions with 7.5 sacks and 15 tackles for a loss.

He finished tied for 6th in the Big 10 in tackles for a loss, in addition Isaac finished tied for 3rd in the Big 10 among defensive lineman.

The Nittany Lions pass rusher earned All-Big 10 3rd Team honors by the coaches and was named the team’s Reid Robinson Defensive Lineman Award (top defensive lineman).

Outlook

The PSU pass rusher posted a respectful 4.74 second forty-yard dash time and a 1.64 second 10-yard split during the NFL Combine.

Isaac effectively utilizes his length and displays versatility regardless if he’s in a 2-point or 3-point stance, which also makes him scheme versatile based on his skill-set.

Some teams will likely have Isaac in the top 50 on their draft board. One thing is clear though, the Nittany Lion’s pass rusher boasts the measurables, motor and situational awareness to contribute immediately on the next level.

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Washington Post (paywall)

NFL helmet testing: 5 models deemed highest-performing ever, 6 others banned

The helmet options for NFL players next season will include five newly developed models that outperformed all existing helmets in laboratory testing simulating on-field impacts, according to testing results compiled by the league and the NFL Players Association.

Those five high-performing models are among 12 new helmet models available to players for the 2024 season that were evaluated, officials said. Eight of those 12 models are position-specific helmets developed for quarterbacks or offensive or defensive linemen.

Some of the best-performing helmet models would enable any player who wears one to avoid the NFL requirement for players to wear protective Guardian Caps over their helmets during practice.

The latest round of annual testing by the NFL and NFLPA also will lead to about 10 percent of players leaguewide being required to change their preferred helmet models over the next year. Those players wear helmets that were moved to the “prohibited” or “not recommended” categories, based on the testing results, as helmet technology and testing performances improve.

The league and union oversee the testing conducted by jointly appointed biomechanical experts with Biocore LLC. The testing results are depicted in posters displayed in teams’ locker rooms.