Mel Kiper details what he likes in Javontae Jean-Baptiste’s game

The third day of the NFL Draft can still provide teams with the opportunity to add quality players to their rosters, even after most of the higher-profile names in the draft have come off the board. The Washington Commanders believe they snagged one such player in former Notre Dame and Ohio State pass-rusher Javontae Jean-Baptiste.

The Commanders took him with a seventh-round selection.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper is inclined to like the pick based on the large jump in production Jean-Baptiste saw after transferring to Notre Dame for his final season.

“I saw some things this year I liked that when you think about Ohio State, what kind of production, let’s think about this, I wrote this down this morning,” Kiper said on ESPN’s First Draft. “Four years at Ohio State, right? 2019 through 2022. Ten sacks total, 10 tackles for a loss. At Notre Dame just this year 49 tackles, that was basically more than he had those years. Ten and a half tackles for a loss, five sacks. He had 38 tackles the last three years at Ohio State, he had 49 this year.”

Then there are the measurables. Jean-Baptiste checked in at 6 foot 4.5, 248 pounds. He’s got the size to be a problem in the NFL.

“He’s got the length. Love the length of Javontae Jean-Baptiste,” Kiper said. “4.66 (second 40-yard dash), 34.5” vertical (jump) and I saw some explosion, I saw some natural pass-rush ability. The ability to locate the ball against the run.

“This is a kid you think Day 3 pass-rusher with length who kind of put it all together leaving Ohio State, coming to South Bend, coming to Notre Dame. I’m looking for those kind of guys and I’ve got to have one Day 3, I’ve got to have potential.”

Kiper certainly nailed his prediction, with the Commanders snatching up Jean-Baptiste in the seventh round of the draft, just before he might have fallen to the undrafted ranks where signing him would be a battle.

Now Washington has a player it can try to build on going forward.

That’s exactly what you’re looking for when you’re drafting late, Kiper explained.

“I’ve got to have a guy that hasn’t yet gotten to where he can be,” the ESPN analyst said. “He’s got confidence now, he showed everybody he could do it, showed himself he could do it. And now all the sudden you’ve got length. I’ve got to have that on Day 3. I don’t want the short-armed pass-rushers on Day 3. I don’t really want them early on.

“I like length and I like the ability to get after the quarterback, that natural ability you can coach up and you can keep improving on that we saw this year from Javontae Jean-Baptiste. So I think there’s a kid Day 3, I’ll take him.”