Daily Slop – 1 May 24: ESPN puts 4 new Commanders on their “100 best” list from the draft; spotlight on drafted CB Mikey Sanristil

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

Commanders links

Articles

Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)

What CB Mike Sainristil brings to the Washington Commanders

Breaking down what the Commanders are getting from their second round cornerback

Now the first thing you’re probably wondering with a player that undersized is can he handle the physicality of the NFL and is he capable of actually making tackles at the next level? That was one of the strongest parts of his game.

Being undersized meant that teams consistently tried to challenge him to make tackles and prevent giving up big plays after the catch. Sainristil routinely proved he was up to that challenge, even on the biggest stage.

First and foremost, he has to sort out the releases from the bunch set and figure out which receiver is his to cover. He correctly sorts through the receivers and attaches to the correct one, who breaks out to the flat. Sainristil does give up separation on the cut to the flat, but he does protect the first down marker. The receiver gives a little ground to come back to the ball and secure the pass, which gives Sainristil the opportunity to break down and make the tackle. The receiver does his best to try and break the tackle, but Sainristil wraps him up on his own and brings him down short of the chains.

---

Commanders.com

Five things to know about Mike Sainristil

He started his career as a receiver.

Sainristil was known as one of the best players on Michigan’s dominant defense, but that wasn’t always the case. Prior to his senior year, most of his time was spent on the other side of the ball.

Sainristil came to Michigan as a top 100 cornerback prospect and the best high school player in Massachusetts. Despite being the Gatorade Player of the Year at the position, the Wolverines put him at receiver, and the former four-star recruit had his moments on offense. His first touchdown came during his freshman year, when he hauled in a 26-yard catch against Notre Dame.

Sainristil became more ingrained in Michigan’s offense from there. He made three starts in the team’s COVID-shortened six-game season, recording two touchdowns and averaging 11.7 yards per catch. The 2021 season was his best as a wideout, accounting for 312 yards and two scores. That was the year he grabbed a career-high 51-yard pass against Rutgers and scored a touchdown in the Big Ten Championship.

Even after he made the position switch, Sainristil still had his skills as a pass-catcher. They were what helped him stand out to the Commanders.

“He was incredible doing the DB drills,” said general manager Adam Peters. “And then he was the best one on offense doing the receiver drills, outstanding route runner, outstanding ball skills, and he could just go all day.”

---

ESPN

2024 NFL draft: Ranking the 100 best picks, steals, fits

To create our ranking, we factored in value (where a player was drafted vs. where he was ranked pre-draft), scheme fit, how the selection addressed a need, what the prospect brings on the field and whether additional assets were gained or lost in draft-day trades to acquire him.

5. Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders (Pick 1-2)

My final overall ranking: No. 5

The Commanders’ offense will be one of the most electric in the NFL with the dual-threat Daniels airing it out to Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson when he’s not gashing defenses with his legs. My No. 5 overall player and QB2 in the class, Daniels was the smart pick for first-time general manager Adam Peters. He should be an Offensive Rookie of the Year contender here as a Day 1 starter.

79. Mike Sainristil, CB, Washington Commanders (Pick 2-50)

My final overall ranking: No. 50

Washington had one of this year’s best draft classes, and the selection of Sainristil was a big part of it. The versatile Michigan defensive back should be a Day 1 starter at the nickel cornerback spot. He has Mike Hilton-like upside and could be one of the NFL’s best nickels in short order. He picked off six passes last season.

81. Ben Sinnott, TE, Washington Commanders (Pick 2-53)

My final overall ranking: No. 90

Commanders GM Adam Peters likely took one look at Sinnott’s film from Kansas State and thought he had found his Washington version of Kyle Juszczyk. Sinnott’s versatility made him my top fullback/H-back and even a top-five tight end prospect in this class. He’s tough, fast and selfless — three qualities that I think will get him into the Commanders’ starting lineup alongside Zach Ertz at tight end.

90. Luke McCaffrey, WR, Washington Commanders (Pick 3-100)

My final overall ranking: No. 143

Commanders general manager Adam Peters came from the 49ers, who have running back Christian McCaffrey. In his first draft as a GM, he made sure to add another McCaffrey to his new team. The younger brother is likely a slot receiver in Washington, where he’ll provide the underneath option for Jayden Daniels with Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson working down the field.

---

Podcasts & videos

---

---

---

Talking Jayden Daniels with ESPN’s Tom Luginbill & 2024 Draft Recap | Get Loud | Commanders

---

---

---

Photos

Commanders.com

PHOTOS | The best of Mike Sainristil

Check out the top photo of the Washington Commanders’ second pick of the second round, Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil.

---

NFL league links

Articles

Over the Cap

The Salary Cap Costs and Value Added from the 2024 NFL Draft

With the 2024 NFL Draft in the books we now have a final estimate for rookie costs for each team this year. At the top of the list is the Arizona Cardinals whose draft class should cost the team an average of $25.892 million per year and account for $19.275 million in cap charges this year. The Commanders rank number two with an average of $21.738 million per year and $16.057 million in salary cap charges. At number three are the Bears at $19.315 million and $14.25 million in salary cap charges.

The other angle to look at with the draft is how much value is created in the process which shows how much rookies are underpaid. The Commanders picks project to add the equivalent of $87 million in value per year despite the cost of just $21.7 million per year. Chicago, New England, and Arizona all added over $70 million in value to their teams via the draft.

The worst draft went to the Raiders at 11% under the baseline value. This was driven by going tight end and guard early in the draft and then spending draft capital on safety, running back, and linebacker late. The Packers were at -5.3% with a run on linebackers, safeties, and running backs. When you consider that they got a boost by drafting a QB late, this was every bit as bad as the Raiders. The other teams with below the line numbers were the Texans, Bucs, Panthers, and Lions.

---

Washington Post (paywall)

NFL owners back Roger Goodell’s vision of a remade 18-game schedule

NFL team owners largely support Commissioner Roger Goodell’s preference for an 18-game regular season, and the league and owners might make a renewed attempt to get the players union to agree to such a lengthening of the season well before the collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2030 season, according to five people familiar with the NFL’s inner workings and the owners’ views.

The league and owners have not initiated a new set of formal discussions with the NFL Players Association on the topic, two people with knowledge of the matter said. But some owners and league leaders have been contemplating such an effort for months, and Goodell expressed his support for an 18-game season during a broadcast interview last week.

An 18-game season, if implemented, would be accompanied by a reduction of the preseason from three to two games per team. It could lead to each team being given a second bye week during the regular season. It probably would result in the Super Bowl being played annually on Presidents’ Day weekend. That, in turn, could lead to a reworking of the offseason schedule in which the league might hold a “tentpole” event in each month — the NFL combine in March, free agency in April and the draft in May.

It’s not clear how the NFLPA would react to an attempt by the owners to negotiate an 18-game season. The current CBA allowed the owners to go to a 17-game season, provided that the total number of preseason and regular season games did not exceed 20 per team. But the CBA also says, “The League and/or Clubs shall not increase the number of regular season games per Club to eighteen (18) or more games.” So the NFL and owners would have to convince the NFLPA to agree to such a change, and it’s not known what the union might seek in return.

“I strongly believe they will bring something to [the NFLPA] in the next 12 to 18 months,” a person on the players’ side said.

It’s not clear how the NFLPA would react to an attempt by the owners to negotiate an 18-game season. The current CBA allowed the owners to go to a 17-game season, provided that the total number of preseason and regular season games did not exceed 20 per team. But the CBA also says, “The League and/or Clubs shall not increase the number of regular season games per Club to eighteen (18) or more games.” So the NFL and owners would have to convince the NFLPA to agree to such a change, and it’s not known what the union might seek in return.

“I strongly believe they will bring something to [the NFLPA] in the next 12 to 18 months,” a person on the players’ side said.

---

Pro Football Talk

Total draft audience falls three percent

The NFL liked…the ratings from the first night of the draft, prompting it to send out a press release on Friday touting the fact that the TV audience bested 2023 by six percent. For the second and third day of the draft, there were no press releases.

That’s because Friday’s audience was the smallest since 2012. Via Sports Business Journal, Saturday’s total audience dropped three percent from 2023. For NFL Network, which had been slashing costs and shrinking shows for no apparent reason, the audience for Saturday fell by 14.5 percent from 2023, down to 498,000.

Even with the Thursday bump, the audience for the draft dropped by three percent.

While still impressive for an event that truly is the ultimate reality show about nothing, since they could do the draft by group text if they wanted, the NFL always wants more, especially on a year-over-year basis. When there’s slippage, there’s hell to pay behind the scenes

---