Daily Slop – 18 Apr 24 – Ahead of next week’s draft, Commanders ranked as the NFL’s worst roster

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)

Draft Profiles: More Day 2 Wide Receivers

Taking a look at a few more WR prospects that could be on the board for the Commanders on day 2 of the draft.

Earlier this week I looked at a few bigger body wide receivers that the Commanders could look to target on the second day of the draft. Today, I thought I’d look at some more receivers, but this time with smaller frames. Now remember that frame includes weight, not just height, so some of these receivers might be shorter, some might be taller, but they all measured in at the combine at under 190 pounds. That typically profiles to more of a slot receiver type but Z receivers can play at that size too and the three guys on this list all have the flexibility to play both slot and Z.

Ladd McConkey, Georgia. 6’0”, 186 pounds.

McConkey has been one of the most discussed and championed receivers of this profile in this draft cycle. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone really dislike him or be overly critical of him. Just about every analyst agrees that he’s a really good football player and I’m not going to stray far from that path. The thing that stands out most with McConkey is the details in his route running.

You can see how the corner feels threatened to the outside and begins to open his hips to the sideline in order to run with any out-breaking route. McConkey plays into this by selling a jab step outside, faking a break to the sideline before then sinking his hips and sharply cutting inside. This route creates multiple yards of separation from the cornerback in coverage and leaves McConkey wide open over the middle of the field, but the quarterback was working elsewhere.

This was a consistent theme throughout all the games I watched. McConkey does a great job with his routes, adjusting his angles to get into the seams and threatening defenders on both the inside and outside. Defenders were frequently getting turned around as a result.

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The Athletic (paywall)

NFL projection model: Ranking all 32 rosters ahead of the draft

The model takes into account an array of metrics and tries to put a “value” on every player. This value is essentially how many points above average a player brings to his team in a typical NFL game. Positional value weighs heavily when calculating that total. So the best running back or linebacker in the league will not be worth as much as the best wide receiver or edge rusher. After summing up all the values, each team was ranked 1-32. Here’s how the rosters stack up entering the draft.

1. San Francisco 49ers

Last year’s Super Bowl runner-up sits atop the list due to having a good quarterback, incredible offensive skill talent — though it remains to be seen what happens with star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk — and one of the most talented defenses in the NFL. If there is one blemish, it’s the interior on the offensive and defensive lines, but the 49ers are stacked everywhere else to make up for it. They remain the team to beat in the NFC.

32. Washington Commanders

There isn’t much to say about the worst roster in the NFL. The Commanders will very likely be drafting their QB of the future, and with the rest of their picks, they’ll simply be looking to acquire talent. A couple of bright spots: My model is a big Frankie Luvu fan, so I think the linebackers should be solid and so, too, should the interior OL.

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Commanders.com

Sam Cosmi embracing change on Commanders’ O-line

Sam Cosmi, a 2021 second-round pick coming off a career-high 80.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, is one of the only pieces Washington kept from a year ago. Change is not new for Cosmi; he adjusted to playing guard after being a tackle his whole career and ended up allowing just four quarterback hits on 777 pass-block plays.

Just like the position switch, Cosmi is embracing this new wave of change.

“I’ve been really enjoying it so far,” Cosmi said. “The guys that we brought in have been really solid, really fit in with the rest of the guys.”

The Commanders were the busiest team when free agency began in March, signing a list of more than two dozen players that mostly consisted of new faces. Three of those additions are offensive linemen: center Tyler Biadasz, guard Nick Allegretti and center Michael Deiter. They also brought back longtime swing tackle Cornelius Lucas, offering him the chance to compete for a starting role.

The overhaul was warranted for a position group that didn’t perform up to expectations in 2023. Their run-block win rate last season ranked in the middle of the league (14th), but they were 22nd in pass-blocking with a win rate of 70%. They also allowed the second-most sacks. Not all of that is because of the offensive line, but they didn’t do enough to mitigate it, either.

While he hasn’t spent much time with his new teammates yet, Cosmi can already tell they’re “going to be key part of our offensive line being successful.” Both Biadasz and Allegretti are aggressive, hard workers based on what he’s seen from the film. Allegretti and right tackle Andrew Wylie played together with the Kansas City Chiefs, so they already have chemistry together.

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Commanders Wire

Is Jayden Daniels’ agent not happy with Commanders over group visit?

The day before the team met with the prospects in Ashburn, general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn organized an outing for the four quarterback prospects at Top Golf: Jayden Daniels (LSU), Drake Maye (North Carolina), J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) and Michael Penix Jr. (Washington).

It was unorthodox but not unheard of, as Peters did it in San Francisco with 49ers GM John Lynch.

The purpose of having the group visit was to see how the players interact with one another.

Some criticized the move, including Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk — who criticizes virtually everything. But apparently, Florio wasn’t the only one to criticize Washington’s decision to meet with multiple prospects on one visit.

Ron Butler of Agency 1 Sports represents Daniels and liked two tweets, including Florio’s, criticizing the Commanders.

It’s Butler’s page, and he can like, repost, or tweet what he wants. However, given the timing, it’s certainly interesting.

No one knows if Washington’s mind was made up before this week on which quarterback it will select. In all likelihood, Peters knows who he is taking, but outside of a select few, no one else does.

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Podcasts & videos

Mel Kiper loses his shit on national TV over Commanders ‘group’ approach to top-30 visits

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Locked on Commanders: Washington Commanders Offensive Tackle Strategy: NFL Draft Options and Free Agent David Bakhtiari

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NFC East links

Big Blue View

NFL Draft rumors: QBs Bo Nix, Spencer Rattler visit with New York Giants

New York expected to be draft ‘movers and shakers’

[T[he Giants…have spent significant time with all of the top quarterbacks who might be available to them over the first two days of the draft. That includes Nix, Rattler, Michael Penix Jr., Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy.

‘Movers and shakers’

The Giants have the No. 6 overall pick. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler is convinced GM Joe Schoen won’t be using it.

“They are looking at all options. I’m pretty convinced they are looking at not only potentially moving up, but potentially moving back, as well,” Fowler told Chris Canty. “This is a team that has a lot of needs, wants to fill them, needs draft capital to do so. I don’t think it’s quarterback or bust for them.

“I think they’ll be movers and shakers on draft day.”

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SB Nation (and other related) links

This section has been added to the Daily Slop at the suggestion of a HH member, who felt it would be good to look at (a) the blogs of teams picking just before or after our draft position, or (b) upcoming or recent opponents during the season. Today it strays beyond the constraints of SB Nation.

Windy City Gridiron

This Daniel Jeremiah draft scenario would disappoint Bears fans

Getting Rome Odunze with the No. 9 overall pick would be a dream come true for the Chicago Bears. But draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah thinks at least one team might complicate that dream.

On one hand, thank goodness no one is asking what the Chicago Bears are doing at the quarterback position anymore. Following the trade of Justin Fields and the continued revelations about the rest of this NFL Draft class, all roads lead to the Bears taking Caleb Williams, the clear best quarterback in this year’s draft in this writer’s opinion, with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The new big question: what do the Bears do with their second first-round pick at No. 9 overall?

The dream scenario, of course, would be to somehow land one of the top three receivers in the draft should one fall to No. 9. That would much more likely be Rome Odunze over Marvin Harrison Jr. or Malik Nabers. Even though the Bears would only have two draft picks after that, you could say they got tremendous value with their blue-chip picks and helped their young quarterback even more.

But NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah thinks the Bears might have some competition for the likes of Odunze should he slip to the bottom of the top 10.

On a pre-draft call with reporters, Jeremiah highlighted the Jets, who own the 10th overall pick, as a team that might want to move up for a top receiver to build around veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Should the Jets be unable to hit a home run and trade up for Harrison Jr., for example, Odunze could be the next best thing, according to Jeremiah.

“If Odunze—we talked about him potentially being in Chicago — if he gets to 8,” Jeremiah explained, “I could make a strong argument that the Jets could make an easy, painless flip with Atlanta, where Atlanta goes back to 10, they could leapfrog Chicago and take Odunze, and it wouldn’t cost them much. You give them your 3(rd-round pick), they give you a 4.”

For fans who would absolutely love to see the Bears grab Odunze, who should fit in well with the likes of DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, this would feel like a gut punch.

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NFL.com

Three win-win trades for Round 1 of 2024 NFL Draft: Chiefs climb 23 spots for Travis Kelce’s successor?

[B]efore Round 1 kicks off in Detroit on April 25, we wanted to dream up three potential win-win deals involving first-round picks that could boost the fortunes of everyone involved. These are not predicted trades; rather, these are hypothetical exchanges that make sense in terms of value and team need.

GIANTS RECEIVE:

• 2024 first-round pick (No. 3 overall) | 2,200 points

PATRIOTS RECEIVE:

• 2024 first-round pick (No. 6 overall) | 1,600 points
• 2024 second-round pick (No. 47) | 430 points
• 2024 third-round pick (No. 70) | 240 points
• 2025 second-round pick | 400 points (valued at the 18th pick in the round)

COST: Giants pay a 21% premium (2,670 points) to move into the top three for a quarterback.

Why New England wins: Most signs point to the Patriots taking a quarterback at No. 3 overall, and I certainly get it. New regime in New England, new face of the franchise, highly touted QB class, etc. The thing is, signal-caller is far from the only hole Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf must fill to return this franchise to prominence. The Patriots need an infusion of offensive talent in the worst way, with arguably the least proven set of skill players in the entire conference. Not one player on the current roster had more than 50 catches or 600 receiving yards last year. In fact, the franchise hasn’t had a 900-yard receiver since Julian Edelman in 2019 (1,117). So rather than drop another first-round quarterback into an unenviable situation — and waste a year (or two) of his team-friendly rookie contract — the Pats’ brain trust, benefitting from the patience that typically is shown to new hires, decides to slide down three spots, where they’re all but guaranteed one of the Big Three at receiver. They also pick up multiple second-round selections to help further bolster the supporting cast for when they do decide to cross the Jacoby Brissett bridge.

Why New York wins: I just made the case for why a QB-needy team should bypass the position because of a dearth of offensive playmakers on the roster … and now I have a squad in a similar situation moving up for a QB? What gives? Simple: Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen did not draft Daniel Jones. Furthermore, the third-year coach-GM combo is not prohibitively tethered to the injury-riddled QB — financially or by mandate — beyond the 2024 season. Fresh off an underwhelming 6-11 campaign devoid of excitement (save for a three-game win streak fostered by undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito), surely neither Daboll nor Schoen want to see another season short-circuited because of inconsistent QB play, especially not from an inherited arm. So if a guy they love is available at No. 3 — say, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels or J.J. McCarthy — then moving up is a no-brainer. (If the Pats hold firm, and a QB the Giants covet falls to No. 4, the same rationale applies for a deal with the holders of that pick, the Arizona Cardinals.) New York’s front office has already demonstrated its willingness to make organization-rocking moves this offseason, trading for Pro Bowler Brian Burns and allowing Saquon Barkley to walk. Leadership can truly put its stamp on the program (and re-energize the fan base) by hand-picking a new franchise passer.

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CHIEFS RECEIVE:

• 2024 first-round pick (No. 9 overall) | 1,350 points

BEARS RECEIVE:

• 2024 first-round pick (No. 32 overall) | 590 points
• 2024 second-round pick (No. 64) | 270 points
• 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 131) | 41 points
• 2025 first-round pick | 740 points (valued at the 24th pick in the round)

COST: Chiefs pay a 22% premium (1,641 points) to move up 23 spots into the top 10 for Travis Kelce’s successor.

Why Kansas City wins: The last time the Chiefs picked in the top 10, in 2017, they moved up to grab Patrick Mahomes. That cost them their first-round selection in 2018, and the highest they’ve picked since then was No. 21 overall in 2022, when they jumped up for Trent McDuffie. They’ve also tried to fill out Mahomes’ crew of pass-catchers using a mix of Day 2 upside plays (Mecole Hardman in 2019, Skyy Moore in 2022 and Rashee Rice last year) and veteran free agents (Sammy Watkins, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling). This strategy has kind of worked, even without Tyreek Hill in the fold, thanks in large part to the continued excellence of tight end Travis Kelce. The 34-year-old can’t help anchor the offense forever, though, so in this scenario, Kansas City stops playing the lottery and goes hard for a legitimate blue-chipper. And yeah, that could mean grabbing a marquee receiver like Rome Odunze, should one fall to No. 9, but it would be even spicier for the Chiefs to nab tight end Brock Bowers (barring someone else jumping on Bowers even earlier, as Gennaro suggested above). In the best-case scenario, Bowers hits the ground running like Sam LaPorta did in Detroit last year, giving the passing game an immediate injection of A-plus talent, adding another truly dynamic option for Mahomes to work with and providing a buffer against any time Rice might miss as part of potential discipline for his alleged involvement in a high-speed crash. Plus, with Kelce still producing at a high level, Bowers would have the freedom to deal with the growing pains that typically hit rookie tight ends.

Why Chicago wins: It’s tough to pass on the chance to pair the No. 1 overall pick (presumably Caleb Williams) with another top-10 talent. But thanks to past trades (including the deals that landed them Montez Sweat and Keenan Allen), the Bears currently have just four total selections in this year’s draft. It’s surely tempting to follow the formula that fueled the Texans’ quick turnaround last year, when Houston paired rookie QB C.J. Stroud with a second star (No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson Jr.) early in Round 1 — but we shouldn’t forget that the Texans also snagged a crucial piece much later on (Tank Dell at No. 69 overall). In this scenario, Chicago walks away with more chances to add help and depth on Days 2 and 3 while preserving its ability to scoop up an impact pass-rusher or (especially in this draft) pass-catcher at No. 32. I know this is exactly the kind of savvy, value-forward thinking I’m telling the Chiefs to move away from above, but these teams are on different timelines, which is what makes this a win-win proposition. The Bears need to get the most out of their next quarterback’s rookie contract. They already juiced the surrounding cast on offense with an influx of veterans (Allen, D’Andre Swift, Gerald Everett), and the defense rounded into shape late last season. GM Ryan Poles has proven he can find talent outside of Round 1. This move gives him a few more bites at that apple. Plus, the Bears would get to head into yet another draft with two first-round picks, providing them with added roster-building flexibility in Year 2 of their new QB’s career.

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NFL league links

Articles

ESPN

‘Voted off the island’: Inside Bill Belichick’s failed job hunt

Even Belichick was aware that his head coach/GM hybrid had fallen out of favor around the league, sources said. A year ago, Belichick had drinks with another head coach. Over cocktails, Belichick told the coach that perhaps there was a better way than the way Belichick had been doing things for nearly a quarter century.

And in the pair of interviews with Blank and Falcons executives, sources said, Belichick pledged his willingness to coexist with Falcons executives under this new paradigm. In fact, he insisted he just wants to coach. But the Falcons realized that if you hire Bill Belichick, you hire all of him, an entire philosophy and ethos stemming from one man’s ethic and ingenuity, sources said.

In the end, his assurances failed to persuade Blank and team executives. “He was essentially voted off the island,” a source close to the Falcons’ hiring process said.

In the coming weeks, Belichick is expected to sign a deal to do analysis for Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, which produces ESPN’s “ManningCast” during “Monday Night Football.” He is believed to be biding his time until next January for openings on teams he has told confidants he would be interested in coaching: the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. A source who spoke with a longtime friend of Belichick said the friend wonders if the coach will have another opportunity: “I don’t think Bill Belichick will ever be a head coach again in the National Football League,” the friend said. “Unless it’s [for] Jerry Jones.”

Washington seemed to be another good fit, and multiple sources said Belichick was very interested. He grew up in Annapolis, Maryland, and the combination of his hometown ties and football acumen might have helped the Commanders win and land a stadium in Washington, D.C., considered the most-prized location for a new venue. Commanders minority owner Magic Johnson lobbied hard for Belichick to be the team’s new head coach, sources said. Belichick spoke to new Commanders GM Adam Peters, a former Patriots staffer, and said he respected the job Peters had done in personnel since he had left New England, helping the Broncos and 49ers reach a combined three Super Bowls.

However, principal owner Josh Harris, who had spoken privately with Kraft about Belichick, told confidants in early December that he respected Belichick but wasn’t going to hire him. He wanted the same leadership structure he has with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils: a strong general manager over a head coach. Harris’ hiring of the 44-year-old Peters as GM before he looked for a coach was a big tell that Belichick was not a fit, a decision that Johnson endorsed. A source close to Belichick said the coach had questions about working in a strong-GM system. Washington decided to hire Cowboys defensive coordinator and former Falcons head coach Dan Quinn. The victim of the Patriots’ 28-3 Super Bowl comeback had a job. The primary architect of that historic victory did not.

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