Decisive Times for Three of the Commanders’ Second-Round Picks
Jer'Zhan Newton, Mike Sainristil, and Ben Sinnott are under intense pressure to prove they belong in the Commanders' future.
Jeopardy question: Washington Commanders Jer’Zhan Newton, Mike Sainristil and Ben Sinnott all share this link, and it’s not their preference for burgundy and gold.
Who are general manager Adam Peters’ 2024 second-round picks?
If you knew the answer, kudos — but simple draft trivia is only the beginning of our discussion, as we are going to review the last two years and discuss the outlook for all three of these young and divisive players.
Jer’Zhan Newton
As the 36th pick in the 2024 draft, Newton was only four picks away from being a first-rounder. He earned the trust of the Commanders’ brass after adding two sacks to his total every year of college at Illinois, improving from 1.5 as a freshman to 7.5 as a senior. He also racked up impressive honors, including being named a two-time first-team All-Big Ten player, the 2023 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and a consensus All-American.
The 6-foot-2, 295-pound Newton underwent surgery on both of his feet in January and May of 2024 to address partial Jones fractures, causing him to miss his first professional offseason. Many were willing to overlook his early lack of production for that reason, although the excuse began to wear thin during his second season.
Newton finished his sophomore campaign with five sacks, three of those coming in a Week 17 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. On all three, he did not win the initial phase of the play — he bounced into Dak Prescott through the natural evolution of the play rather than through his own pass-rush success.
His pass rushing was also inconsistent. Pro Football Focus’ database shows that Newton recorded zero or one pressure in 11 of 17 games last year, while totaling 20 in the remaining six.
Newton’s run defense was an even larger issue. His 15.5 snaps per run stop was the lowest of all Commanders defensive tackles who logged at least 100 snaps against the run in 2025, including Daron Payne (11.1), Eddie Goldman (12.8), Javon Kinlaw (14.4), and Sheldon Day (15.1).
The coming season is paramount for the former second-rounder. Defensive line coach and run game coordinator Eric Henderson — who won a Super Bowl with Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams — was poached from USC and will be tasked with converting Newton’s vast potential into meaningful production.
Newton will also have to fight stiff competition to get on the field. Tim Settle was signed to play nose tackle in a 3-4 under front, while Payne and Kinlaw will move around the line. Undrafted free agents Jeffrey M’ba and Ricky Barber will also compete for roster spots, as will veteran signing Shy Tuttle, who appeared in two games for the Commanders a year ago.
Mike Sainristil
The 50th pick in the 2024 class carved out a role as a rookie and has already become a familiar face for Commanders fans — but with that familiarity has come controversy.
Once dubbed the “pound-for-pound best player in the draft” by college football icon Nick Saban, Sainristil’s best moments have been offset by abject failures from not only team deficiencies, but also poor individual performances.
To Sainristil’s credit, he was asked to move from nickel corner — a position he only began playing as a junior in college — to full-time outside corner after just two NFL games. He was later moved back inside and was expected to play his entire sophomore season there, although he was once again shifted outside due to injuries and poor play by others.
Asking an undersized defensive back to operate in multiple positions on a woeful defense is difficult for anyone, much less an NFL newcomer. That said, there were obvious limitations to Sainristil’s game.
His lack of size and long speed were a poor match for Joe Whitt Jr.’s Cover 1-heavy system, which morphed into Cover 3 in zone looks. He finished 2025 allowing the most receiving touchdowns, the second-most receptions, and the fifth-most yards of any cornerback in the league.
That said, Sainristil was the only member of the secondary who consistently generated turnovers. He forced two fumbles and recorded six interceptions across his first two seasons, dwarfing everyone else in the room.
For clarity: playing lockdown coverage without forcing turnovers is objectively preferable to being a coverage liability who creates one turnover roughly every four games. However, the ball skills and instincts Sainristil has demonstrated are real and could still be leveraged in a better scheme.
The arrival of defensive coordinator Daronte Jones could be a saving grace. Sainristil stuffed the stat sheet under current Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter during his senior season at Michigan, serving as the captain of a national championship-winning defense. He tallied 44 tackles, six interceptions, six pass deflections, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and two touchdowns that season.
Assuming Jones brings the Minnesota Vikings’ palms blitz-heavy style to Washington, Sainristil will be able to play with his eyes on the quarterback, knowing that throws will arrive earlier than they did the last two years due to the pressure generated up front.
Allowing him to aggressively jump routes in a scheme designed to create those windows could be the key to putting his best days in his sights and the struggles in the rear-view mirror. If it’s not, Peters will enter the 2027 Draft with an obvious need at corner.
Ben Sinnott
Sinnott was selected 53rd overall. Peters told him on draft day that he reminded him of George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk. players drafted 146th and 130th overall, respectively.
Questions about the value proposition of using a pick that early on a player designated to serve as a hybrid fullback and tight end — effectively an H-back — are warranted, though they are largely beside the point here.
Sinnott was not the pure run- or pass-blocker that John Bates is, nor was he the receiving threat that Zach Ertz was. The Commanders also ranked an average 15th in 12-personnel usage rate in both years under Kliff Kingsbury, limiting Sinnott’s opportunities to get on the field in a meaningful role.
A career stat line of 18 targets, 16 receptions, 142 receiving yards, and two touchdowns across 33 games is far from impressive. However, Sinnott was never truly given a chance to maximize his potential under the previous offensive arrangement.
Moving to David Blough’s West Coast offense changes that calculus considerably. He can function as a sift blocker on running plays, leverage his movement skills on wide zone concepts, and use his athleticism to present himself to Jayden Daniels on play-action looks. He also complements Chig Okonkwo well in 12 personnel and could be deployed in 13 personnel as an unrefined but intriguing blend of Okonkwo and Bates.
The Bottom Line for All Three
Questions have been raised. Flashes have been seen — some more than others — but none of the three have proven they belong in the Commanders’ long-term vision.
With that being said, the apparent schematic and talent upgrades on both sides of the football make this the most promising environment any of them have played in.
Peters wants to see his picks pay off. It is time for all three to demonstrate whether his vision on draft day two years ago was correct, or whether he missed on several of the most important decisions of his tenure.