All signs — and countless mock drafts — point to the Commanders selecting a quarterback with the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
But as first-year Dan Quinn told reporters this week at the annual league meetings in Orlando, if the answer to what they’ll do is out there, it’s news to Washington brass.
“If somebody thinks they know, they’ll have to fill me in because [first-year general manager] Adam [Peters] and I, we’re not there yet,” Quinn said, according to The Athletic.
Washington, which added veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota in free agency, traded third-year signal-caller Sam Howell to the Seahawks earlier this month, fueling speculation a quarterback could be on their radar come April’s draft.
With the Bears widely anticipated to select Caleb Williams at No.1, that could leave fellow premier QB prospects Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels on the board.
J.J. McCarthy, who helped lead Michigan to a national championship in January, has also seen his stock rise in recent weeks and may be in the mix for the No. 2 pick.
“I know quarterback gets a lot of attention, as it should,” Quinn said, per The Athletic. “It’s a story here and everywhere. But there’s a lot of players (to evaluate) and … a lot of picks for this year’s draft.”
Quinn previously told NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero, “It’d be fair to envision we’d be taking a quarterback.”
“To say where it’ll be happening, I think that’s a better question for Adam,” Quinn continued.
The former Cowboys defensive coordinator also anticipates Peters will be fielding calls about the No. 2 slot as quarterback-needy teams look to move up.
“Yes, I would say it’s ringing, and because, like you said, of the talent of the group this year,” Quinn said.
“And so I would anticipate him fielding these calls as it goes through, and usually it’s not necessarily later than No. 6 or 7, but those people who are usually in the top four or five, there’s somebody that somebody has targeted, and I think it’s mostly like ‘Well, I’ve got to take a shot!’ A lot of times it’s no, like ‘Thanks for calling’ but it is part of the process, and you have to do your due diligence to listen and to find out just to make sure, like is there something that you just couldn’t refuse.”
In addition to the second overall pick, the Commanders possess five other selections in the top 100 (No. 36, No. 40, No. 67, No. 78 and No. 100). The team has two fifth-rounders (No. 139 and No. 152) and a seventh-round pick at No. 222.
The Commanders finished 4-13 last season.