One of the most anticipated and exciting, non-sports game related events of the year had finally arrived: NFL Draft Day! After months of speculation, evaluation and the unknown of how picks and rounds would unfold, NFL teams and fans were ready for the start of the 3 day event, starting with round 1 on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
Last month, I wrote about my fun experience with Drake Maye and how the QB carousel and storylines were off and running. Where would it all lead to on draft night? Personally, I never really watched much video of any of the top QB’s and admittedly, just read and listened to a lot of analysts. I was back and forth between Maye and Daniels and leading up to draft week, was slightly leaning Daniels as my personal preference. Still, no one really knew what direction the front office was leaning. And I loved this! While there was speculation by trusted insiders like Adam Schefter about Daniels to Washington 2 weeks out, there were no leaks from the inside. Washington seemed to keep the league and rival teams guessing. And then after the multiple perspectives on the 4 QB’s Top Golf Visit, there were more reasons to wonder what may happen at #2.
But during the day, while all the hype was leading up to round 1 of the draft in just a few hours, the Burgundy & Gold released a video of our HOF Legend Darrell Green- my personal favorite Redskins player in my youth- talking about the upcoming draft. But wait…there’s more!
Yes, to Darrell’s shock, and I would add our fans’ delight: it was announced that finally, his #28 jersey would be officially retired! Seeing how this went down, how Darrell responded, and who else was involved in making this a thoughtful, very special moment, it was very moving. Here is what I said:
What a way to kick off some draft day excitement! And then, Burgundy & Gold Nation would eagerly await who our brain trust would land on at #2, in hopes of another future legend who would help bring back long-awaited Super Bowl glory, and perhaps be able to join Darrell in Canton someday. It would not be an understatement to say that this could very well be one of the, if not the most important drafts in Washington Redskins/Commanders history. With our unique draft capital, desperate need for a QB, and at the beginning of this very exciting Josh Harris Ownership Group mission, so many factors why this draft was an all-timer.
And then at number 2 after the Bears selected QB Caleb Williams as expected, it was officially announced: Jayden Daniels was indeed the guy!
My immediate perspective is that I have tremendous confidence in Adam Peters and the front office and really believe that in selecting Daniels, it was based on ample data, as they left no stone unturned. They are proving to be extremely thorough, meticulous, outside the box evaluators, and I trust them. I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt. No reason to suggest otherwise at this point. And while these draft picks are never a sure thing- especially at QB- we can only hope…we have to hope, that we got it right! I’m hopeful that we got the potential star and hopefully even better person right. And I’m also hopeful that for the first time in nearly a quarter century, a potential star QB can come into a good, classy, unified, skilled, professional organization and culture, that would give him the best chance to be the best version of himself and thrive. And it can’t be understated how important this is for elite athletes to have a chance at the highest level. Especially at QB, the most important position in all of sports.
Yes, what a day. A day of celebrating an all-time, favorite Redskins legend. And a day of celebrating the new direction of this beloved and storied franchise and hoping that maybe, possibly, we now have a legitimate chance. A chance to not only have a legitimate star at QB, but a real chance that this potential star can have a conducive atmosphere to thrive, and help the Burgundy & Gold be able to get back to high-level, sustained winning. And maybe, retire more future player jerseys like the beloved, Darrell Green.