The Commanders finished the NFL Draft with five new players, starting with Oregon OT Josh Conerly Jr. in Round 1, and when Logan Paulsen joined Lynnell Willingham on Sunday when all was said and done, he explained why he liked that pick, vis-à-vis the fact that Josh Simmons – who went 32nd to Kansas City – was also on the board.
Here are some snippets what Logan had to say about the rest of the Commanders’ five-man draft class:
CB Trey Amos: “He’s gonna have to compete, and I think that's what you want is a guy that I think his career shows that he is a competitive dude. I think you see a guy who's experienced some adversity in his career, understand what it takes; he’s played in multiple systems, got the physical measurements, and tested better than people thought. He is kind of what this staff covets at the position; he’s a a bigger guy, got really supreme ball skills and instincts for the position, and when you look at guys that they've coached that have had that, they're able to mold them into pretty dynamic football players. Ultimately, if does figure it out, which we're all hoping, I think he probably plays that outside spot opposite Lattimore, and then Mike Sainristil is kind of your nickel player, and he’s starting Week 1.”
WR Jaylin Lane: “There were times watching film where the quarterback play was really frustrating to watch; they’re kind of in this weird kind of amalgamation of like, we're a run first team, we've got a running quarterback, but we do some RPO stuff and we do take shots, but the receivers on run plays, it's obvious to kind of tell them to chill out on certain looks. I don’t know man, but I came out of watching it asking who is No. 83, because he’s a stud. He's competitive, he runs good routes, he’s a good blocker. You can tell he's like a football player's football player, and he's got this explosive ability to his game; an excellent football player, home run threat, adds value as a as a kick returner right away, probably more punt returner, but getting a player at 129 who can contribute to your team, I think is very, very significant. I think his best football is ahead of him.
LB Cain Medrano: “I fell in love with this guy when I watched him; I think he struggled a little bit earlier in the year last year, but as the season went on, I think you just see a guy whose athleticism just oozes from him. He’s playing this like box safety, kind of star role, and he can turn and open up and run with wide receivers, or sit and handle double moves. His coverage skills are tremendous, and his feel in space is tremendous. I think he needs to improve as a tackler, and initially he’s a special teams player, but the athleticism is unique.”
RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt: “You have some explosive, dynamic playmakers, but in terms of just running back film, I think you're going to be hard pressed to find a guy who's just a more natural instinctive runner than him. His ability to burst and attack the line of scrimmage is extremely high-level, and he’s got this kind of great contact balance. He’s what you want a running back to be now; the skill set is there, and he’s a running back’s runner. It’s very hard to coach a running back to develop that; it’s natural feel and instinct, and he has that at a high level. Couple that with that elite acceleration, and I like taking a shot on a guy who has such a unique feel for the position.”
Can’t forget the UDFA signings, either, so listen to the whole segment with Logan and Lynnell above!