One final pre-draft meeting between the Commanders and quarterback prospects Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels is scheduled for next week with the franchise expected to choose a player at that position in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft on April 25.
When Washington follows the Chicago Bears and is on the clock with the No. 2 pick, the Commanders are widely expected to draft a quarterback. The No. 1-ranked prospect at the position, Southern California’s Caleb Williams, is a local product that Washington will not likely have the chance to pick.
But Maye (North Carolina) and Daniels (LSU) are considered prizes in their own right.
Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, met with Washington team officials and coaches around his pro day in Baton Rouge. He’s scheduled to take his final pre-draft visit with the Commanders on Monday.
Maye met with Commanders coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters before his pro day in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The Commanders cleaned house after finishing 4-13, one spot in the draft ahead of the QB-needy New England Patriots at No. 3.
Washington traded 2023 starting quarterback Sam Howell and signed veteran Marcus Mariota, putting the Commanders in position to draft a quarterback in the first round for the third time since 2012, when they drafted Robert Griffin III at No. 2 overall.
Howell was a fifth-round selection, while Maye was a teammate at North Carolina. Maye was a freshman in 2021, Howell’s final season with the Tar Heels.
Kirk Cousins, drafted by the Mike Shanahan regime the same year Washington selected Griffin, was the 102nd pick in 2012.