Ryan Fowler joined the Kevin Sheehan Show to discuss who he loves at the top of the 2024 NFL Draft, but the conversation had to begin with a recent article Fowler wrote for Bleacher Report that dropped the Washington Commanders as a potential scheme fit for – "you know who" – free agent quarterback to be Kirk Cousins.
"You hear the name Kik Cousins and people are gonna say, 'Ok I don't really want him back, I wanna start with a fresh face, maybe it's a Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels,'" Fowler told Sheehan. "But when you start to parallel Adam Peters and the process of a guy like Brock Purdy... and the guy who I think is going to be the head coach of the Commanders, unless anything changes, and that is Ben Johnson coming in from the Detroit Lions. The offense that he runs where he wants to build on the run and play-action, and what Kirk did in Washington well and did in Minnesota well working with Kevin O'Connell these last few years it does match up."
Obviously, the money is a whole other problem that would make this reunion all the more unlikely.
After getting that out of the way, the converstion swithces to if LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is the guy or if it is UNC quarterback Drake Maye for the Commanders at No. 2 overall if USC QB Caleb Williams goes No. 1 to the Chicago Bears.
Fowler says brakes should be pumped on Daniels going No. 2 after Mel Kiper Jr. had him at that spot in his first mock draft.
"I've had a ton of conversations with league evaluators over the last weeks and months and the opinions vary on Jayden Daniels to where I do expect him to be a Top 10 pick," Fowler said, "..but there are some scouts I've talked to that have him in late second round, third round.
"There are some Kyler Murray comparisons, there are some Lamar Jackson comparisons to him as a runner, I don't like that at all. Specifically, because Jayden Daniels is more of that Robert Griffin III linear track runner, north-south [style]. Lamar Jackson can beat you inside of a phone booth, east-to-west, there's nobody like him in the game, there's nobody like him in this draft class as far as an athletic perspective."
Fowler called Daniels a "roll of the dice type" draft selection and a luxury he does not see Washington being able to afford.
To listen to Fowler's full breakdown of Daniels and what he thinks about Maye – and his potential of being a big-time pick for Washington at No. 2 overall – and why Sheehan disagrees with some of Fowler's take on Daniels on the audio player above.
