When the Washington Commanders selected Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, nobody batted an eye. He was a great prospect. But no one expected him to provide a return on investment as a rookie. Well, except for a select few. One of whom was former New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini.
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Sure, some predicted Daniels might win Offensive Rookie of the Year or help the Commanders make significant strides, but not many had them reaching the playoffs. In fact, Mangini was the only one on the FS1 panel to pick them last year. So, does he have any gems for this season?
Well, as all NFL people must when they get on a TV show, he had a take on Aaron Rodgers and his debut with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Mangini picked the Bengals, Chargers, and Patriots to be the AFC Wild Card teams. He conspicuously left out the Steelers, who have made the playoffs in four of the last five years. The “problem” for him is the chemistry between newly signed Rodgers and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
“I can’t get my head around Aaron Rodgers and Arthur Smith working together and really elevating that offense. That’s a problem for me,” Mangini said on First Thing First.
It’s a fair concern, but let’s also not crown Mangini as the Nostradamus of the NFL because of one Jayden Daniels prediction. Last year, he also predicted that the Jets, Bengals, Jaguars, Falcons, and Bears would make the playoffs. He also took the Lions over the Texans in the Super Bowl and C.J. Stroud for MVP.
Mangini’s predictions are a mix of hits and misses, as is the case with most people. Another noticeable AFC Wild Card team left out of his playoff picture was the Denver Broncos, whom he doesn’t like as much as the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers.
“They got in the playoffs late, but really they got in the playoffs late because Kansas City didn’t play their guys. And I get they added two very significant defensive pieces, I just think the Chargers and the way they’re gonna run the ball is gonna be too much for a lot of people.”
Mangini got even hotter with his takes when he flipped over to the NFC, where he took both the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams to win their respective divisions. The Rams one is not crazy if Matthew Stafford stays healthy, but it’s still pretty surprising.
But the Bears winning the best division in football is a wild one, especially considering they are just as likely to finish last in the tough NFC North. Mangini doubled down on his insanity by including the New York Giants as a Wild Card team alongside the Commanders and Detroit Lions.
Last year, Mangini nailed one of his picks and was pretty even on the rest. So the question is, who will be this year’s Commanders?
