Securing the №2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft was one part of the equation when you think how close the Washington Commanders were to falling in the draft. Basically, if the New England Patriots played worse or the Commanders played better in the entirety of the 2024 season — the outcome could have been far different in the draft order.
The other part of the equation is that Washington could have picked a different quarterback than Jayden Daniels. Imagine that. The Chicago Bears had the first pick, and they passed on Daniels.
Some of the self-professed genius evaluators were pushing for the Commanders to pick anyone but Daniels with that №2 pick. Many were picking the Commanders to finish with just three wins in the 2024/2025 season. Some thought picking up veterans like Zach Ertz, Austin Ekeler, and Bobby Wagner was dumpster diving. Some thought Dan Quinn as the head coach hire was a bad move, and Kliff Kingsbury at offensive coordinator was going to ruin the offense. Bad takes exposed:
One of my sons sent me this Insta account (below) that showed how a Greg Zuerlein field goal was the difference from Washington picking at №2 instead of with the 5th pick. That game winning kick might have felt like a punch to the gut of every Commanders fan at the time — but in the bigger picture, look at how that played out in dropping the Commanders to that 4-13 season that made securing that №2 pick possible.
Over at TalkNats, we did a similar story for the 2009 draft of how a Kory Casto strikeout in 2008 sealed the deal for the Nationals to lose enough games to secure Stephen Strasburg with the №1 pick.
Some would call it the divine line of destiny. The movie, Field of Dreams, eloquently spoke to, “There comes a time when all the cosmic tumblers have clicked into place and the universe opens itself up for a few seconds to show you what’s possible.” It certainly feels that way with Daniels and the Washington Commanders and similarly to Strasburg.
This is when sports feels like a gift from a higher spiritual power that defies any logical explanation how the path defined the future so perfectly. Like poetry in motion, this person was put here to save this team, and you believe that it was meant to be for a suffering fan base that has endured so much over many years. Yes, nearly 25-years of deplorable conditions under Daniel Snyder feels like the biblical equivalent of Moses in the desert for 40-years.
When I think of a star quarterback who has enough wattage to light up wins, almost singlehandedly, would that not be like an entire starting rotation of Strasburgs as a baseball equivalent? Daniels is like a Cy Young under center for every offensive snap. The difference is a pitching ace is a defender in baseball, and a quarterback is a position on offense in football. While true, those are the two positions of greatest impact in their respective sports. A pitcher throwing a shutout with a great GameScore is like a quarterback putting up a perfect QBR rating.
The cosmic tumblers are turning for Washington football fans, and the team is fighting for ole D.C. While Daniels does not have the full redemption story, yet, like Strasburg of 2019, we will see what the football gods have for D.C. fans who deserve much happiness.
