NFL Mock: Washington Commanders Select 'Culture Changer' at No. 2

The Washington Commanders hold the No. 2 pick in the draft and in Eric Edholm's latest mock draft for NFL.com, the franchise makes a surprising choice.

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Commanders hold the No. 2 pick in the draft with quarterback likely being the direction the franchise goes. But exactly which quarterback Dan Quinn and Co. could select is perhaps the most intriguing question.

LSU's Jayden Daniels and North Carolina's Drake Maye have been the two quarterbacks that most seem to think the Commanders will lean toward. However, there were rumors at the NFL owner's meeting that the franchise could pivot to a new target.

Michigan's J.J. McCarthy has seen his stock rise over the last few weeks and in Eric Edholm's latest mock draft for NFL.com, the Commanders bypass both Daniels and Maye to select last season's National Championship winner.

"A week ago, I went on DC radio and relayed how people around the league (not affiliated with the Commanders) thought Jayden Daniels might have a better shot of being the second pick than Drake Maye," Edholm wrote. "Now I am pivoting again. The groundswell of McCarthy-to-Washington rumors has only grown in recent days. It won't surprise me if J.J. ends up being the culture changer GM Adam Peters is seeking."

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McCarthy's stats might not be eyebrow-raising like Daniels or Maye's, but one word comes to mind when describing him - efficient. In his three seasons for Michigan, McCarthy has only thrown 11 interceptions. He has also thrown for 6226 yards and 49 touchdowns. That will work.

The only knock on McCarthy is due to Michigan's run-heavy offense with Blake Corum (258 att, 1,245 yards, 27 touchdowns) and Donovan Edwards (119 att, 497 yards, five touchdowns) that McCarthy hasn't thrown the ball enough during his time in college.

While that is likely splitting hairs, McCarthy has shown to be an efficient quarterback and there is a reason why his draft stock has risen over the last couple of weeks.

The Commanders have their pick of the draft pool at No. 2. With McCarthy, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury gets a steady quarterback who can lean on the run game of Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler in a similar way he did for Michigan...and that worked out rather well.