Adam Schefter Sheds Light on Commanders' Unusual Quarterback Evaluation Strategy
Washington decided to bring in multiple quarterback prospects on the same visit earlier this week.
The Washington Commanders have made headlines this week thanks to the way they're going about the NFL draft. Holding the No. 2 pick, first-year general manager Adam Peters happily told assembled media on Thursday that the team had no plans to trade down — a decision usually kept under wraps until draft day. The most notable item, however, came in the form of how the Commanders are evaluating quarterbacks. On Friday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter shed some light on that aspect of their draft process.
Usually, interested teams hold visits with each individual quarterback prospect. Washington (for some reason) held one big visit for four potential picks. Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy, and Michael Penix Jr. all came to the team facilities earlier this week. Schefter appeared on Get Up to discuss the unusual method and said it didn't sit well with Daniels because he was under the impression it was a solo visit.
In regards to the other aspect of the above report, Ron Butler is the agent for Daniels and he did express discontent with the process on his X (formerly known as Twitter) account.
All of this only highlights how strange it was that the Commanders went this route. There are certainly benefits to evaluating a prospect in a group environment; playing well with others is a key component of succeeding as an NFL quarterback. Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin Stefanski even likes to see how potential draft picks order their food. But there are plenty of people Washington can ask about that and get an accurate read on it. That's what old teammates and coaches are there for.
There are few opportunities during the pre-draft process to get in a room with a prospect one-on-one for a substantial period of time. That time is pretty important! The Commanders will be paying whoever they select tens of millions of dollars right off the bat, and if things go according to plan, they'll end up paying hundreds of millions. Passing up the chance to get more individual time with the prospect they hope will be the face of their franchise doesn't look good.
And that's what this is all about. The perception is poor. Washington is surely doing all the homework necessary and met with individual quarterbacks at the NFL Combine. But putting those four together into one visit comes across like they were trying to check several boxes at once because it is more convenient for the team. It's the absolute last thing long-suffering fans of the franchise wants to see.
A strange decision-making process, and one that Daniels (a very likely selection at No. 2) is reportedly not happy about.
