Hogs Haven
A case can (and will) be made
I’ve spent the past couple of days doing deep dives on three players that Washington took during the back half of Day 2 of the draft. There are a ton of things I like about the games of Ben Sinnott, Brandon Coleman, and Luke McCaffrey. But, in some respects, I feel like I may have buried the lede.
Washington had six picks total in the top 100, and while those three certainly look like they could end up being special, the top three picks have the opportunity to be truly transformative for the franchise.
And, as I look more closely at them, and the things said about them in the lead up to the draft and afterwards, I think an entirely plausible case can be made that we just secured three “first round talents” in the 2024 draft. I’ll advance that case below.
There’s no need to make an argument that Daniels, the number two overall pick, is a first round talent. I don’t think there was one credible draft observer who wouldn’t acknowledge his status as such. The question with Daniels really is: Might he have been the best player in the draft?
Some respected commentators tried to make that case in the lead up to the draft, and at least one draft observer (see below) hinted that the depth of support in NFL front offices for Daniels as QB1 was probably more extensive than the public imagined.
As I’ve said elsewhere, I don’t think I even watched one video of Johnny Newton in the lead up to the draft, believing that Washington’s likelihood of taking defensive tackle in the first round - where Newton was expected to go - was just about nil.
That the BIG 10 Defensive Player of the Year slipped into the second round was a surprise to nearly everyone, including Washington’s new GM:
Having gone back to look at his tape after the draft, I now know why Peters was so surprised.
As a Washington fan, I’m intimately familiar with overhyped defensive linemen coming out of college. I don’t think that’s going to be the case with Newton.
Have a look at his play in the game below against Penn State last year, and you’ll see why he’s described unironically as an “Agent of Chaos.” Newton has the capacity to be a legitimate game wrecker on defense, which is something Washington hasn’t had in a very long time.
Washington was incredibly fortunate to have a record-breaking 23 offensive players selected in the first round of this year’s draft, pushing a raft of defensive talent with first round grades, including Newton, into the early second. Here’s hoping Newton takes that personally.
This assertion is going to be the most “controversial” of three, but I’m prepared to make it.
Was the “undersized” Michigan defensive...
