These aren’t your grandpa’s Washington Commanders. For starters, your grandpa didn’t call them the “Commanders.” Not only that, but the American capital’s once-proud football franchise is under new ownership and in prime position to select the star quarterback that has eluded them for decades come Thursday’s NFL Draft. Things are finally looking up in Landover but first they have to get that second-overall selection right. According to Kevin Clark on this week’s episode of the ‘This is Football’ podcast, the team is pulling out all the stops to make sure they don’t botch it, hosting the draft’s top QB prospects for a night of beers and bombs at … Topgolf??
I asked Drake Maye about the now-famous Commanders TopGolf visit. He loved it. "It was one of the cooler visits I've been on."
"I think I had the best swing. I was hitting it pretty good. But JJ McCarthy was hitting it well as well."
LOADED This is Football episode. pic.twitter.com/CPrDTUxJmT
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) April 22, 2024
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Guest Drake Maye—widely believed to be the third best quarterback in the class behind Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels—had a blast on the visit, calling it “pretty sweet” one of the “coolest” visits he’s been on. He also claims to have had the best swing but that late-rising Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy was hitting it pretty well too. McCarthy has a chance to blow the top 10 wide open on Thursday if a team falls in love with his swing, er, throwing motion, so keep an eye on the Michigan man.
Overall, about 20 prospects were invited to event but not all enjoyed the experience as much as Maye. Notably, ESPN reports that Jayden Daniels—the current odds-on favorite to be selected by the Commanders at number two—and his agent were not thrilled with the evening, expecting it to be a one-on-one affair. Could Topgolf torpedo the relationship between the Commanders and the 2023 Heisman winner before it’s even bloomed? Could this be yet another case of the Washington Football Curse coming home to roost? Honestly let’s hope not. For the good of the Commanders and for the good of golf.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
