Commanders 'More Likely' to Trade Back than Patriots; Drafting Drake Maye 'In Play'

The Washington Commanders could trade down from No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft but remain "likely" to keep the pick - and North Carolina's Drake Maye is still a viable option as buzz builds around LSU's Jayden Daniels.

As the 2024 NFL Draft nears, so too does decision day for the Washington Commanders, who own the No. 2 overall selection.

The Commanders have been oft-linked to quarterbacks - and the first week of free agency continued that trend.

Washington traded last year's starter Sam Howell to the Seattle Seahawks, let backup Jacoby Brissett depart for the New England Patriots in free agency and signed a new backup in Marcus Mariota.

In essence, the Commanders' quarterbacks room looks much different now than it did before the legal negotiating period opened - and it's set the stage for a rookie quarterback to enter the mix.

But which one will Washington opt for? Will it be North Carolina's Drake Maye or LSU's Jayden Daniels?

After the signing of Mariota, the Commanders appeared to be leaning more towards Daniels due to stylistic similarities - but according to NFL Draft expert Daniel Jeremiah, Maye is still a viable candidate to be selected by Washington.

"I think he's in play there, I do," Jeremiah said on the Zach Gelb Show. "When they traded Sam Howell, that perked me up a little bit, and thought, OK, maybe that does mean Drake Maye could be back in play there at No. 2."

A glimpse at Drake Maye in a Washington Commanders jersey / Clutch Points

Jeremiah noted that Maye and Howell are best friends, and while some would view that as a positive pairing, he believes Washington didn't want them to be competing against one another.

As such, the race between Maye and Daniels appears back on - but there's another option.

Washington could trade the No. 2 overall pick, Jeremiah believes, sparked in part because the Patriots are "committed" to staying at pick No. 3 and drafting a quarterback.

In turn, the Commanders could receive a significant haul - perhaps even larger than previously believed - from a team interested in moving up. Such a decision also allows Washington to continue accumulating capital.

But still, the Commanders are expected to hold their current draft position and select either Daniels or Maye.

"I believe it’s likely that Washington stays and takes one of those two guys," Jeremiah said. "But I would think Washington, of the two, would be more likely to at least listen because of what they need on that roster and where they are."

Why?

For Jeremiah, it starts with Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury's pedigree of developing quarterbacks and the wealth of options available beyond the draft's top three passers.

Jeremiah believes some of those second-tier signal callers - Michigan's J.J. McCarthy, Oregon's Bo Nix and Washington's Michael Penix - could intrigue Kingsbury and staff enough to move down in the draft order, perhaps to No. 11 with Minnesota Vikings.

"When you have Kliff Kingsbury, he could say, 'You give me a huge haul of picks, I can make it work with McCarthy, Bo Nix or Penix - like these guys are point guards, and let’s build up the rest of the roster,'" Jeremiah said.

"So, between those two - Washington, New England - it feels to me like Washington would be the one that maybe would at least listen to what these offers are."

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The answer will be in soon enough, as the 2024 NFL Draft takes place April 25-27 in Detroit.