In his first year with Washington, new general manager Adam Peters wanted to bring a tradition from his time with the San Francisco 49ers to the Commanders. Peters called this the “Commanders Caucus,” where the GM gathers all of Washington’s coaches, scouts, and executives to give each one the opportunity to advocate for one player in the draft.
Last year, the entire organization concluded that Temple linebacker Jordan Magee was their guy, and the Commanders chose him in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft. Injuries impacted Magee’s rookie season, and he was also behind future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner on the depth chart.
Who will be the guy in 2025?
We could have an early contender. Jackson State defensive back Robert McDaniel is one of the draft’s top HBCU prospects, and the Commanders recently met with him at his pro day and also at the HBCU combine, per our Josh Taylor.
Two meetings — that we know of — at least show some level of interest in McDaniel. McDaniel had an interesting college career, beginning at Jackson State for one year in 2019. Then, he transferred to a junior college and then to Alcorn State for two seasons. He transferred back to Jackson State for his final collegiate season, finishing with 55 tackles, including 10 for loss, 4.5 sacks and three interceptions.
In addition to his outstanding production, McDaniel is a terrific athlete. At the HBCU pro day, he recorded a 4.55 40-yard dash but most impressively posted a 39.5″ vertical jump and a 10’11” broad jump. Those combined numbers would’ve had McDaniel in elite company if he were at the NFL combine. And when you add McDaniel’s size (6-foot-2, 207), there’s a lot to love. Washington head coach Dan Quinn has enjoyed plenty of success coaching players with McDaniel’s measurables. McDaniels is versatile, too, playing safety and cornerback during his time in college.
Additionally, McDaniel would continue the trend of players who have multiple years of starting experience at the NFL level, something the Commanders focused on in the 2024 NFL draft and seemingly continued throughout the interview process during this draft season.
#Commanders #meet #HBCU #star #ahead #NFL #draft
