Daily Slop – 5 May 24: One-on-one with (10-time All Pro) LB Bobby Wagner

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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The Athletic (paywall)

The German VR ‘flight simulator’ behind LSU QB Jayden Daniels’ Heisman season

Daniels’ development is not random nor difficult to spot for evaluators. Jack Marucci, LSU’s director of performance innovation, said an NFL staffer told him recently: “It looks like he’s throwing to a spot more.” Improved pass protection played a role in Daniels’ willingness to trust his progressions. So, too, did having potential first-rounders like Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. at wide receiver. But there is another layer to his growth, one that involves an iPad, a virtual reality headset, and a platform built by two folks in Germany who had a vision for a better way to help athletes make split-second decisions

Hartmann pursued an answer to the following question: How could they present information to athletes’ brains that the brain would treat as if it is real practice? They settled on building an artificially intelligent platform that can be funneled to the athlete through a virtual reality headset.

“It’s really about how we can control an environment to bring the athlete in the best practice situation possible,” Hartmann said.

Krakau added: “We created everything with real biomechanics movements. It’s not just like Madden where people are moving around more robotically.”

When Sloan tried on the headset, he thought: This feels real. Like you’re inside of an amazing video game. He suggested some tweaks. What if they altered the splits between the linemen? What if they added the opposing teams’ stadiums? Krakau and Hartmann scribbled these suggestions on a whiteboard. At the end of their afternoon-long session, Marucci began to ask when Krakau and Hartmann planned to return to Giessen.

“He was, like, ‘We don’t want you guys to leave,’” Macaluso said. “‘We wanted to help build out this product.’”

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Riggo’s Rag

4 pre-draft Commanders questions that received emphatic answers

This draft was a big indicator of the Commanders’ future.

How long will the Commanders’ rebuild take?

This draft was a clear indicator that this was only the beginning of the vast rebuild under Adam Peters. The general manager selected guys that filled multiple holes, but still left several potential flaws unattended to. Other than the Brandon Coleman pick, the Commanders couldn’t find other improvements on the offensive line, which is concerning.

A lot of fans were upset about the lack of offensive line picks in the draft, but trust the process and be patient. This roster and franchise aren’t going to be fixed in one draft or offseason. There was too much of a mess left behind.

This offensive line won’t be great this season, even with some veteran offensive line signings that could arrive before preparations for the 2024 season gather pace. However, next offseason is when things should start coming together.

Even though this is only the start, Peters is eager to progress this vast rebuilding process quickly. Don’t expect a playoff contender in 2024 for the Commanders, but with another strong offseason in 2025, they could become a legitimate threat in 2025.

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Riggo’s Rag

3 Commanders players on the hot seat after 2024 NFL Draft

Seats are getting warmer for some…

Phidarian Mathis – Commanders DL

Adam Peters went into the 2024 NFL Draft intending to take the best prospects available regardless of need. Not many teams around the league have that luxury, but it’s something the new general manager followed through on relatively early in the process.

Peters was probably not looking to take a defensive tackle with one of his early selections. However, when Johnny Newton slid out of the first round and into their laps at No. 36 overall, the respected front office figure was not going to turn down such an outstanding stroke of good fortune.

Many projected Newton to be a first-round lock. Others even had the former Illinois game-wrecker as a potential top-15 selection after an exceptional college career with the Fighting Illi. Why he dropped so far is anyone’s guess, but it seems as if teams were put off by his recent injury rather than anything too concerning about the player’s on-field production.

Newton will play an immediate role within Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr.’s defensive scheme despite the presence of Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen as the Washington Commanders’ starting defensive tackle tandem. This brings the future of others into doubt, but Peters hasn’t attached any sentiment to his decision-making process whatsoever in pursuit of a brighter future in the nation’s capital.

Phidarian Mathis’ first two seasons in the league have been underwhelming at best. The former second-round selection out of Alabama endured some awful luck on the injury front, but his impact was an ongoing frustration when tasked with reps on the defensive rotation last time out.

In truth, the Commanders have no idea what Mathis is or who he might become with a little extra polish. There’s a chance he can improve under the expert guidance of Quinn and his accomplished staff, but there is no disputing his future hangs by a thread following Newton’s arrival.

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Washington Wire

What does new Commanders TE Ben Sinnott think of comparisons to 49ers’ stars?

While no one is saying outright that Sinnott is the next Juszczyk or Kittle, his size, athleticism, style and versatility make it a worthwhile comp.

So, what does Sinnott think of those comparisons?

“It’s crazy to even be in conversation or have anyone even think to compare you to guys of that caliber. It means everything,” Sinnott said this week in an appearance on “Grant and Danny,” on 106.7 The Fan, via Lou DiPietro of Audacy.

“Hearing that, and the trust that he has for me, it’s super inspiring, and it gives me a lot of confidence going forward.”

Speaking specifically of Kittle, one of the NFL’s best tight ends, he was 6-foot-4 and weighed 247 pounds at the 2017 NFL combine. He ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash. Sinnott measured in at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, running the 40 in 4.68 seconds. However, Sinnott bested Kittle’s vertical leap by five inches. Kittle spent a portion of his childhood in Iowa and played at the University of Iowa, while Sinnott was born and raised in the state of Iowa.

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Podcasts & videos

Bobby Wagner is EVERYTHING We Love About Football | Free Agency Friday | Washington Commanders

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Mike Sainristil tells Rooster the Commanders are getting ‘a football player whose mindset is domination’

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Washington Commanders Quarterback Jayden Daniels and NFL Draft With Locked On LSU and Ben Standig

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NFL league links

Articles

SB Nation

The NFL/College divide isn’t just evident in the players

Answering a question can be as much about perspective as impartial truth. Never is that more obvious than around the NFL Draft.

NFL analysts, experts and fans alike break down game film and measurements for months leading up to the draft. They build out big boards and wish lists of players, then have strong feelings after the draft shakes out. Those feelings don’t always line up, however, with the feelings of college fans who have been watching those same players on the field for months if not years.

To put that to the test, NFL and NCAA fans were asked the same questions about the NFL Draft results. While the top line in every case has the same answer, further down the ballot things loo

NFL fans, for instance, are much higher on Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels as the two quarterbacks enter the NFL, and lower on Michael Penix Jr. College fans, however, are likely coming from the perspective of seeing on-field success from Penix and J.J. McCarthy, and therefor have higher opinions of the two title game opponents.

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A similar result came from the wide receiver position. While both college and pro fans think Marvin Harrison Jr. is in the best position for professional success, college fans are higher on Rome Odunze and Keon Coleman. While NFL fans like Malik Nabers and Ladd McConkey.

Fans of both levels of play agree on two more things without much question – there are at least two star players that the NFL let slip. NFL and NCAA fans said new Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers from Georgia was the best player picked outside of the Top 10.

Both sets of fans also said New Orleans Saints cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry from Alabama was the best player picked after the first round.

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