Javontae Jean-Baptiste Joins Talent Starved Commander Edge Group

28/04/2024

javontae-jean-baptiste

The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, seeing seven former Notre Dame standouts selected during the three-day event. The last of the draft selections was defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste, who spent his lone season with the Irish in 2023.

The talented defender was selected by the Washington Commanders with the No. 222 overall pick in the seventh round. Jean-Baptiste opted to use his final year of eligibility to strengthen his draft stock and take his best chance as professional football.

Jean-Baptiste now goes to a Commander team who needs some serious upgrades at defensive end. Here’s how he could figure into the future plans.

COMMANDERS DEFENSIVE END ROOM

Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, edge was among the biggest priorities for the Commanders to fill. After they lost Chase Young and Montez Sweat last offseason, there wasn’t much talent left on the roster. This offseason was dedicated to hopefully improving the impact of that room.

As of today, the edge group is a makeshift one that experienced a makeover this offseason. Washington was active in free agency, signing Dorace Armstrong (Dallas Cowboys), Dante Fowler Jr. (Dallas Cowboys) and Clelin Ferrell (San Francisco 49ers). That trio combined for 15.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss combined. Clearly production needs to take a step forward.

Behind those three veterans, there is almost no production to speak of. Players like KJ Henry, Andre Jones Jr., Jalen Harris, Joshua Pryor and Efe Obada. Not much impact is expected out of that group.

JEAN-BAPTISTE’S FIT

“Patience” was the name of the game for Jean-Baptiste, who was a part of an extremely talented defensive end room while with the Ohio State Buckeyes. During his five years, Jean-Baptiste was able to earn a rotational role for Ohio State. In total, he collected 51 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Jean-Baptiste also forced a fumble, recovered another and broke up a pass.

Instead of entering the 2023 NFL Draft, or returning to Columbus, Jean-Baptiste opted to transfer to Notre Dame for his final season. He put together his most productive season, and was a pleasant surprise for a very talented Irish defense. In 13 games, he made 49 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. During important stretches of that final campaign, Jean-Baptiste was arguably Notre Dame’s top defensive lineman at times.

As a player, there isn’t anything flashy about Jean-Baptiste. He is an overall solid mix of power, athleticism and effort. The word “grinder” is typically put next to Jean-Baptiste’s name. He is an example of consistency and dependability. It will be interesting to see if that floor can earn him a roster spot, and hoping to earn reps as a depth piece.

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2024 Commit Rankings – Offense2024 Commit Rankings – Defense

2024 Recruiting Class Grades – Offense2024 Recruiting Class Grades – Defense

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