ESPN NFL Insider Names Washington Commanders Winners Of Second Day Of 2024 NFL Draft

The Commanders are earning national attention for their work through two days of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Michigan defensive back Mike Sainristil lifts the trophy to celebrate the 34-13 win over Washington / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Washington Commanders entered the 2024 NFL Draft in a position to alter the trajectory of the franchise in a positive way. Under the leadership of General Manager Adam Peters and Head Coach Dan Quinn, the Commanders made five more selections on Friday evening after electing to use the No. 2 overall pick on former LSU star Jayden Daniels.

Washington drafted Illinois defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton (No. 36), Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil (No. 50), and Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott (No. 53) in the second round before securing TCU offensive lineman Brandon Coleman (No. 67) and Rice wide receiver Luke McCaffery (No. 100) in the third round. The selections are earning the Commanders national attention.

ESPN analyst and NFL Insider Field Yates didn't waste any time naming Washington as the winner of the second day of the draft while breaking down the festivities on SportsCenter. Yates believes that the franchise potentially found "three or four starters" over the second and third rounds. The one who's earning the most buzz is Sainristil after former Alabama head coach Nick Saban heaped praise on him following his selection.

"I'll go with the Washington Commanders, a little bit of an assist here from I don't know the greatest college football coach of all time in Nick Saban," Yates said. "The Commanders had a bunch of picks on day two specifically and that included Mike Sainristil, a slot corner from Michigan who this past season had six interceptions, he's a forced turnover waiting to happen as well as Johnny Newton, their first pick of the day. Ben Sinnott, h-back, full back, tight end from Kansas State but Sainristil was according to Nick Saban 'pound-for-pound the best player' in the entire draft. If you have that kind of endorsement from the GOAT of college football you certainly have my attention. I think this Washington Football team may have had three or four starters from start to finish on day two with more ammo to work with on day three."

The future looks bright in Washington with the way that the franchise has operated throughout this draft. The best part is that the fun isn't over just yet. There's still another day remaining for the Commanders to finalize a strong draft haul.

As of now, the Commanders are slated to pick twice in the fifth round (No. 139, No. 152) before wrapping things up in the seventh round (No. 222).

*Article courtesy of Dustin Lewis

Stick with CommanderGameday for more coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 NFL Draft.