The Washington Commanders hit a hard reset on their direction, firing Ron Rivera, OC Eric Bieniemy, and trading starting quarterback Sam Howell for a sack of rocks. The offense now belongs to Kliff Kingsbury and Jayden Daniels, for better or for worse. But, the Commanders also surrounded Daniels with talent, giving him two passing weapons on day two. Let’s dive into the three fantasy football-relevant picks made by the Washington Commanders in the 2024 NFL Draft!
FULL 2024 WASHINGTON COMMANDERS DRAFT RESULTS
| Round | Pick | Player | Pos | College |
| 1 | 2 | Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU |
| 2 | 36 | Jer’Zhan Newton | DT | Illinois |
| 2 | 50 | Mike Sainristil | CB | Michigan |
| 2 | 53 | Ben Sinnott | TE | Kansas St |
| 3 | 67 | Brandon Coleman | G | TCU |
| 3 | 100 | Luke McCaffrey | WR | Rice |
| 5 | 139 | Jordan Magee | LB | Temple |
| 5 | 161 | Dominique Hampton | S | Washington |
| 7 | 222 | Javontae Jean-Baptiste | EDGE | Notre Dame |
Washington Commanders (Round 1, Pick 2): Jayden Daniels, Quarterback, LSU (6’4” 210 lbs)
[Note: The following is an excerpt from our Round One Instant Reaction piece.]
Talent:
Jayden Daniels is a confusing comparison for me because he’s extremely skinny and fast, but he doesn’t have a lot of the same skillsets as recent dual-threat quarterbacks. He’s fast and mobile with good zip on passes over the middle, but balls outside the numbers die on him pretty easily. Daniels has a good second-level feather on him, and a good enough deep ball, but his accuracy is all over the place on things over 15 yards.
Daniels didn’t rely on his legs as much as other dual-threat quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson, but he can fly when he decides to let one go. His arm also isn’t as big as guys like Daniel Jones and Josh Allen. He’s a tweener at the NFL level because he plays like Cam Newton while carrying roughly the same BMI as Ben DiNucci so that limits his upside as a rusher. Daniels struggles to just make a decision.
Here comes the downside: nothing about what he did jumped off the page to me, and I feel like the draft industrial complex is doing a redo of the 2022 NFL Draft, where people mocked Sam Howell Desmond Ridder, and Malik Willis up into the first round without next-level quarterbacks. He’s likely going in the top ten in the real-life NFL, which gives me hope for him in 2024 fantasy leagues. He should have the rushing ability and passing prowess to turn into a top-ten fantasy quarterback in the first couple of seasons. He feels like a quarterback who is going to have a decent NFL career but who isn’t going to be a top-line starter at any point, sort of like Justin Fields.
NFL Comparison: Robert Griffin III
2024 Opportunity:
The Washington Commanders are a bit light on overall options, though they do have one of the more underrated WR1s in the league with Terry McLaurin, and a former first-round receiver in Jahan Dotson. But, there isn’t much behind them in the wide receiver room, so this is going to be a situation where Daniels isn’t particularly set up for a lot of passing yards. Luckily, that’s not really what Jayden Daniels is best at. He’s a great runner, which is great because he will make a wonderful pairing with Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler. The franchise set him up with upgrades along the line in the offseason, adding Nick Allegretti from Kansas City, and Tyler Biadasz from the Cowboys.
2024 Outlook:
Daniels should end up running the ball 10 times a game or so, which will immediately make him viable in 1QB fantasy football leagues. He will at least get you a great floor rushing the football, and his big arm should get Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson some interest. I would, however, take another quarterback to pair with him. We learned the lesson last year with Anthony Richardson that this type of profile could end up with you in a hole sooner rather than later. Luckily, he is likely to settle outside the top ten in ADP when all is said and done, making a pairing with Daniels, Kirk Cousins, or even Caleb Williams, a great move in your leagues.
TALENT:
2024 OPPORTUNITY:
2024 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK:
Round 2, Pick 53 Overall: Ben Sinnott, Tight End, Kansas State (6’4” 245 lbs)
Talent:
DAWG. Ben Sinnott does it all for you. Out wide to run an in-route? He’s gotcha. A screen pass best suited for a running back? Bet. Put his hand on the ground and run a guy over? Sinnott has your back. Run a nice little whip route to leave a linebacker crying for his binky? Sinnott is your man. Sinnott does it all, and maybe it’s because this class outside of Bowers stinks out loud, but call him Friday, because I’m in love.
Sinnott has nice routes, he can line up all over the field, and he gets open everywhere. He is also a YAC monster, and he has nice and soft hands, as well as a good extension to maximize his catch radius. He’s going to make a team very happy as he has the potential to bud into a star within a couple of years (think Trey McBride).
NFL Comparison: Trey McBride
2024 Opportunity:
The Commanders don’t have a third option in the passing game. Sure, they went out and got Austin Ekeler, but at this point in his career, he isn’t that third viable option that you’re looking for. Sinnott sits behind Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson in the pecking order, but he has the I’ll Do What You Need gene that will get him on the field a ton. He’s the second-best tight end in the class, which means that he should be on the field a ton, given his draft capital. But, I am wary of a running quarterback’s third option, who happens to be a rookie tight end.
2024 Fantasy Football Outlook:
Rookie tight ends traditionally struggle, but we saw Dalton Kincaid finish as TE12 and Sam LaPorta had the greatest rookie tight end fantasy season ever last season. So, never say never. Still, I wouldn’t take Sinnott as anything but a speculative TE2 in redraft leagues.
TALENT:
2024 OPPORTUNITY:
2024 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK:
Round 3, Pick 100 Overall: Luke McCaffrey, Wide Receiver, Rice
Talent:
Luke McCaffrey looks just like he comes from a hyperathletic family, almost like his big brother Christian is the best running back in the NFL, or something. McCaffrey is a converted quarterback, and it shows. When you watch him play, there isn’t much of a technician in there, and he doesn’t have a lot of moves to beat press coverage. However, he does a great job of floating through zone coverage to find the open holes, and then he uses his athleticism to garner yards after the catch. He deftly turned his ability to stand in the pocket awaiting a hit, and to understand where the pass rush is coming from, to turn himself into a fearless wide receiver who doesn’t shy away from contact at the point of the catch, nor does he let it change his ability to catch the football. He’s still exceptionally raw, and not particularly talented in the technical aspects of being a wide receiver, but he could develop into a nice big slot a couple of years down the line.
NFL Comparison: Jakobi Meyers
2024 Opportunity:
I doubt that McCaffrey is a pick that the Commanders hope turns into gold right away, as they already have two better receivers on the roster. But, Terry McLaurin will be 30 in 2025 and is a free agent after that season. If things don’t get better for him via Daniels, and in a hurry, he could be out the door. That having been said, that doesn’t help in 2024. McCaffrey is still raw and likely doesn’t see a ton of snaps until the second half of the season, if at all.
2024 Fantasy Football Outlook:
McCaffrey doesn’t wow me, and he clearly doesn’t wow the NFL, either. He wasn’t projected to go as high as he did, and the Commanders making a bad pick shouldn’t lead to you making a bad pick. Don’t worry about him in your 2024 redraft leagues.
