Did Washington just draft three first round talents?

A case can (and will) be made

I’ve spent the past couple of days doing deep dives on three players that Washington took during the back half of Day 2 of the draft. There are a ton of things I like about the games of Ben Sinnott, Brandon Coleman, and Luke McCaffrey. But, in some respects, I feel like I may have buried the lede.

Washington had six picks total in the top 100, and while those three certainly look like they could end up being special, the top three picks have the opportunity to be truly transformative for the franchise.

And, as I look more closely at them, and the things said about them in the lead up to the draft and afterwards, I think an entirely plausible case can be made that we just secured three “first round talents” in the 2024 draft. I’ll advance that case below.

Pick 1 – Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

There’s no need to make an argument that Daniels, the number two overall pick, is a first round talent. I don’t think there was one credible draft observer who wouldn’t acknowledge his status as such. The question with Daniels really is: Might he have been the best player in the draft?

Some respected commentators tried to make that case in the lead up to the draft, and at least one draft observer (see below) hinted that the depth of support in NFL front offices for Daniels as QB1 was probably more extensive than the public imagined.

Pick 2 – Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton, DT, Illinois

As I’ve said elsewhere, I don’t think I even watched one video of Johnny Newton in the lead up to the draft, believing that Washington’s likelihood of taking defensive tackle in the first round – where Newton was expected to go – was just about nil.

That the BIG 10 Defensive Player of the Year slipped into the second round was a surprise to nearly everyone, including Washington’s new GM:

Having gone back to look at his tape after the draft, I now know why Peters was so surprised.

As a Washington fan, I’m intimately familiar with overhyped defensive linemen coming out of college. I don’t think that’s going to be the case with Newton.

Have a look at his play in the game below against Penn State last year, and you’ll see why he’s described unironically as an “Agent of Chaos.” Newton has the capacity to be a legitimate game wrecker on defense, which is something Washington hasn’t had in a very long time.

Washington was incredibly fortunate to have a record-breaking 23 offensive players selected in the first round of this year’s draft, pushing a raft of defensive talent with first round grades, including Newton, into the early second. Here’s hoping Newton takes that personally.

Pick 3 – Mike Sainristil, CB, Michigan

This assertion is going to be the most “controversial” of three, but I’m prepared to make it.

Was the “undersized” Michigan defensive leader a top-32 player on consensus draft boards in the same way that Daniels and Newton clearly were? Based on what I’ve come across, probably not. Should he have been? That is the question.

Sainristil was a team captain on the National Championship winning defense, and its emotional leader:

“I want all you guys to take a look at their sideline. Look at them!” Mike Sainristil, Michigan’s wiry nickelback and team captain, yelled to his teammates gathered around him, as he pointed across the field to the Buckeyes sideline. “They have their heads down. We know who the f— they are! They are exactly who we thought they are! Let’s keep our foot on the gas. Keep executing. Don’t give them anything. Keep taking everything.

“Y’all wanna win the natty? It starts right now!”

Sainristil’s impromptu speech had his teammates riveted, heads nodding vigorously in agreement.

Sainristil helped change the culture in the Wolverines’ locker room, leading a player-focused accountability effort to build strong habits and key-in on details for success. In a crucial game against a top conference rival, Sainristil played a critical role:

Watching The Game from 400 miles away in Baltimore, where he plays for Harbaugh’s brother John’s Ravens, [John] Ross said it all felt so familiar even if no one else believed the Wolverines could win against the Buckeyes again. On Ohio State’s first series of the second half, Sainristil and linebacker Junior Colson combined to make a stop on a third-and-short near midfield to force a punt. “It reminded me of last year, how you saw Ohio State deflating with every possession,” he said. “It was a great sight to see.”

“I saw them show Mikey standing up on the sideline, talking his mess, getting the team rallied, (and) I honestly thought, we’re about to win this game. That’s that confidence piece. The reason that we lost that game all those years, we just didn’t have it when stuff went wrong. … That’s what we were missing in the years past, from being used to losing to Ohio State.”

The reason for Sainristil’s availability in the second round almost certainly boils down to a perception that he’s undersized and isn’t a great fit for the boundary. That wasn’t a universal concern, however. In the lead up to the draft, an anonymous coach told The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman:

“He is one of my favorites. The habits are just so good. I’m not leery of his size because I think he plays a lot bigger. I have no reservations about him. He’s so aggressive and plays the ball so well in the air. I think he uses his lack of size to an advantage because he’s super quick and he’s able to get around blocks and people can’t get their hands on him.”

On the record, The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner offered the following:

One of my favorite players in this class, Sainristil’s toughness and IQ are off-the-charts good, and his leadership is one-of-a-kind good. A major culture-changer at Michigan, Sainristil is small — but a good athlete who is very, very hard to fool. He’ll be a contributor on day one in Washington.

And all of those accolades are awesome, but when arguably the best college football coach of all time – who had just played against Michigan in January in the College Football Playoff Semifinal – said this after the pick was made, I listened:

“I love. There’s a difference between love and love. I loves this guy. This guy may be the best football player, pound for pound, in the draft. I mean he’s instinctive, he’s physical – and I know he’s not very big – but I’m going to tell you what. This guy can play, he can cover, he can tackle. He’s tough. Fast reactor. I just love the way this guy plays. He was a blitzer, killed us in our game, just killed us coming off the edge as a STAR. He’s a STAR (nickelbacker) probably. That’s what he should play.”

Would you consider Nick Saban’s “best player, pound for pound, in the draft” a first round talent? I certainly would, and do. Great work, Adam Peters and company.