The 2024 NFL Draft officially kicks off on Thursday, April 25 at 8 p.m. ET. While there are plenty of stories that can evolve from now until then, one of the biggest has been about the top three picks.
The Chicago Bears own the #1 overall and are likely to draft USC’s quarterback Caleb Williams. The Washington Commanders own the #2 overall pick and the New England Patriots own the #3 overall pick. Despite the consensus that Williams is going #1 overall, the next two picks have been argued plenty.
The Commanders have been linked to LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels for months, but things have taken a dramatic turn. Daniels visited the Commanders on April 18 and his agent is upset at how the meeting went down.
Pat McAfee spoke about the meeting on his live show, revealing that the Commanders decided to bring in 20 players at once, which appeared to be a bit impersonal. The video then cuts to longtime NFL analyst Adam Schefter, who shined more light on the meeting while guesting on the Get Up morning show.
“It didn’t seem to go over too well with the agent for Jayden Daniels, Ron Butler, who sounded off on social media last night that he didn’t seem particularly pleased with the process.”
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Daniels appeared to believe it would be a meeting with just him and the Commanders’ higher-ups but ended up sharing the meeting with many other potential draft targets. The entire situation upset Butler, and may have also upset Daniels.
McAfee then pulls up a graphic that has the odds of the #2 and #3 overall picks switching from Daniel to UNC quarterback Drake Maye. Before the situation, Daniels getting drafted #2 overall was -350 and Maye was at +240. Now, Daniel is at -130 and Maye is at -105, according to ESPN Bet.
One meeting might not be enough to sway Daniels to get out of being drafted to the Commanders, but the situation does warrant some caution. Young players often look to their agents for guidance and advice when it comes to contractual issues, and Butler might look to the Commanders as being a problem.
This is speculation, but Daniels could very well have been upset at not being given the respect of a one-on-one visit. He is the presumed next franchise quarterback for the Commanders, or whoever drafts him, and not getting the respect he believes he deserves could lead to a change of heart.
Granted, teams can draft whomever they please, but that doesn’t mean those players drafted always stick with the respective team that selects them. Take, Eli Manning, for instance.
Manning was selected by the Chargers #1 overall at the 2004 NFL Draft, but Manning and his father, Archie, had refused to let him play for San Diego. So, a deal was struck where Manning would go to the Giants, and Philip Rivers would be traded to the Chargers.
Players engaging in this kind of behavior is not at all common, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that this could happen again. Should Daniels get selected #2 overall by the Commanders, but refuse to play for them given how this meeting went—he may be similarly traded to another team.
Again, one reported bad meeting might not be enough to deter Daniels from going #2 overall, but crazy things can happen. Should Daniels refuse to play for the Commanders, the entire draft could be turned upside down.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.