New Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters has a franchise-altering decision he’s facing heading into his first NFL Draft in that role.
Washington boasts the No. 2 pick in the annual draft. The team is going to be selecting a quarterback after trading away Sam Howell earlier in the offseason.
For much of the pre-draft process, Washington has been linked to Drake Maye (North Carolina) and Jayden Daniels (LSU).
But we’re now hearing some surprising stuff coming from Maryland. Could the selection actually be Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy? It seems to potentilly be trending in that direction.
“It’ll be really interesting because everybody’s always trying to figure out, especially at the top of the draft, what the other teams are doing,” NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero said on Monday. “When I’ve had conversations here with executives for other teams who know Adam Peters well, who know the situation well, the most popular answer for what they do at No. 2 is J.J. McCarthy. So, a lot of drama still to come.”
Fresh off leading Michigan to the national title, McCarthy is the fastest-rising prospect with a month to go before the draft. Heck, McCarthy’s former head coach at Michigan in that of new Los Angeles Chargers head man Jim Harbaugh believes he should be the first quarterback off the board. While that’s not happening, it tells us a lot about where teams stand on the former Wolverines star.
Related: Latest Washington Commanders NFL Draft rumors
Washington finds itself in a unique position. The team will have its choice between Maye, Daniels and McCarthy once Caleb Williams eventually goes No. 1 to the Chicago Bears.
The Commanders also added veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota to the mix in NFL free agency. He could very well act as a stopgap if new Washington head coach Dan Quinn is not comfortable starting a rookie signal caller.
There is a whole heck of a lot on the line here. Washington is coming off a disastrous 4-13 campaign and has earned a mere one playoff spot since the end of the 2015 season. It can’t afford to make the wrong decision. That’s for sure.