Among the many Commanders ‘staffers’ at the NFL Scouting Combine was Rick Spielman, the former Vikings GM who helped with the GM search process here in DC – and when he caught up with JP Finlay this week, he was psyched by the potential of the class.
“I think it's going to be a very strong draft class and it is because of the top three quarterbacks in this class,” Spielman said. “Usually when you have this caliber of quarterback class, it makes it very exciting, but if you go down and look at all the positions…the receiver group, you could see as many as four or five go off the board early, and the corners, I'm excited to see these guys work out. There are four or five corners, but not anyone that's really a clear-cut No. 1, it’s going to depend on the scheme that these defenses are running.”
It’s all about the QBs, though, and Spielman gave his outside take on the top 3, starting with Caleb Williams.
I think Caleb is pretty unique in his playmaking ability, especially outside the pocket, his arm talent, his ability create on his own. He needs, just like all these guys, to be a little bit more patient in the pocket,” Spielman said. “The one thing that really stood out to me is when I watched that first half of the Notre Dame game, which is probably his worst game that I've seen, and he actually came back in the second half and played really well.
So that told me even though he played poorly in the first half, that he could get through adversity and come back and perform.”
And Drake Maye?
“He probably did not play as well this year. I don't think he had the same offensive line, same weapons around him,” Spielman said. “Biggest knock on him was probably just forcing the ball too much, but there's no question about his unique talent as a thrower and for his size and length, his athleticism, I think, is underrated.”
And finally, Jayden Daniels:
“If you looked at him before this year, you'd probably say third or fourth-round guy, but one of those risers that all of a sudden became potentially a top three pick,” Spielman said. “I don't think there is anyone as athletic as him when he has a ball in his hands as a runner, and he's improved as a passer, especially down the field with his accuracy. So it'll be interesting to see how all this unfolds as we go through the pre-draft process.”
JP thinks it’s Williams at No. 1, so who would Spielman take if he was Washington sitting at No. 2?
“I would go with the way Adam and DQ are going to go, whatever way that is,” Spielman laughed. “The problem is we're not going to know everything that the teams know. We're not going to have all these psychological tests and we’re not sitting in these private meetings right now. So a lot of times when I'm on this side of it, all you're doing is projecting on what you know, but you don't have that same type of information that teams are going to have that will never become public. You can get something in their background, or a medical condition – I remember coming to the Combine thinking a guy is perfectly healthy, and then he goes through the physicals here and he has a heart condition, and then our doctors take him off the board. There are so many different things that can happen between the Combine and when actually draft comes around with all the information that we will never know out in the public.”
Spielman’s role is indeed done in Washington, so he knows as much as you and I most likely, but he was excited to be a part of the process of finding Adam Peters and Dan Quinn to lead the new regime.
“I learned a lot from being a part of the process, seeing how teams do things differently and the different ways coaches approach things, and there was no question in my mind as I told Josh and Adam, you have to pick the best coach for you,” Spielman said. “I knew that Adam, even though there was a lot of great GM candidates, was clearly the No. 1 candidate, just with his track record and his personnel background and his knowledge of total football operations. As a first-time GM, he's going to have to learn and grow into the job, but there is no question he was ready for that opportunity, and I think Dan Quinn and Adam Peters, with Josh, will be a great combination for the Washington Commanders.”
So clearly, Quinn was the right coach for them.
“Two different personalities, but the one thing that stuck out is they both want to do everything together. It's not an Adam decision or a DQ decision, it's what's best for the Commanders,” Spielman said. “When you can get a pair working together like that, taking out any ego, which neither of them have, and putting what's best for the Commanders going forward, that's when you have the best chance to have success.”