Getty J.J. McCarthy makes a pass.
The Washington Commanders have decisions to make with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. With quarterback talent throughout the draft, they could draft one of the higher-regarded ones in Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels. No matter what happens at No. 1 from the Chicago Bears, the Commanders would land either of these players. That’s if they decide to keep the pick and don’t trade it to a team like the Denver Broncos who need a quarterback, too.
Trevor Sikkema of PFF released a mock draft that had the Broncos trade up to No. 2 for Maye. In this mock draft, the Commanders receive a 2024 first-round pick (No. 12), a 2025 first-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 first-round pick. The Broncos would receive the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft.
Sikkema makes that initial trade and then has the Commanders trade up from No. 12 to land the New York Jets No. 10 pick. The trade will also send the Jets a 2024 second-round pick and the Jets will send the Commanders a 2024 third-round pick. With that pick, he drafts J.J., McCarthy of Michigan.
“There’s a bit of added wheelin’ and dealin’ here for the Commanders, as they move from No. 2 to No. 12 and then use some of their extra Day 2 ammo to jump the Vikings for a talented developmental quarterback in Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.”
He gave his reasoning for the Broncos initially trading up for the No. 10 pick.
“I believe the market for quarterbacks in this draft will be red hot, and we’ll see that solidify after free agency.
“Teams such as the Falcons, Raiders, Broncos and Vikings will all be looking to move up for a quarterback. Here, I have an aggressive Sean Payton moving from No. 12 to No. 2 by giving up the same compensation package the 49ers offered to move up from No. 12 to No. 3 for Trey Lance in 2021.”
Should the Washington Commanders Do Something Similar to This?
McCarthy had an impressive college career, capping it off with a National Championship.
However, from a statistical standpoint, he wasn’t in the same class as Maye, Williams, or Daniels. McCarthy threw for 2,991 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions.
While impressive, Maye threw for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns with a UNC team that wasn’t comparable to a Michigan team that gave up just 1.33 sacks per game. UNC allowed double that.
Daniels threw for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. He added another 1,134 yards on the ground with 10 touchdowns.
If the Washington Commanders make this trade and Maye, Williams, and Daniels are all impressive NFL quarterbacks, it could haunt them for the next decade. Unfortunately, given the past few seasons, they aren’t in a position to do anything out of the ordinary, which this would be.
Washington Commanders Have Interest in the No. 1 Pick
According to Dan Graziano of ESPN, there’s a fascination with some in the Washington Commanders organization to trade up for the No. 1 pick to draft Williams.
“Yes, there are those in the Commanders organization who are fascinated with the idea of drafting D.C. native Williams, even if that means trading up from No. 2 to No. 1 to get him. But they also recognize that if the Bears are set on taking Williams at No. 1, there might be nothing they can do about that.”
Trading up for the No. 1 pick seems to be a better option than trading No. 2 to the Denver Broncos unless there’s more attached and they can get a haul similar to the one the Carolina Panthers traded the Chicago Bears last year.
That trade sent the Panthers the No. 1 pick for DJ Moore, Carolina’s 2023 first-round pick, a 2023 second-round pick, a 2024 first-round pick, and a 2025 second-round pick.