Javontae Jean-Baptiste bet on Notre Dame's ability to maximize his NFL potential in one season.
The former graduate transfer from Ohio State cashed out Saturday when the Washington Commanders selected the defensive end in the seventh round of the NFL Draft with pick No. 222 overall.
“It was a great phone call when we picked him," said Commanders assistant general manager Lance Newmark. "He was very, very excited and very emotional. Really excited to add the length, the athleticism, the pass-rush upside.”
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The 6-foot-5, 247-pound Jean-Baptiste led Notre Dame in sacks (5.0), tackles for loss (10.5) and quarterback hurries (11) in his lone season with the Irish. His 49 tackles in 13 games were the fifth-most on the team.
In his five years at Ohio State, Jean-Baptiste failed to break through as a regular starter and filled a niche role as a rotational pass rusher. He left the Buckeyes with 53 tackles, 8.0 sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss in 45 career games. Jean-Baptiste became a more well-rounded defender under defensive coordinator Al Golden and defensive line coach Al Washington at Notre Dame.
“I grew this season at Notre Dame with more football knowledge," Jean-Baptiste said Saturday. "Getting able to play under Coach Golden’s defense and learning from Coach Wash. There was a lot of things that they had taught me being in a new scheme, even though I came from Ohio State playing under some great coaches and a lot of DCs.
"It was just coach Golden’s scheme taught me a little bit more ball and different schemes I’ve never seen before.”
Notre Dame has produced NFL Draft picks at defensive end at a high rate in recent years. Jean-Baptiste became the sixth selection in the last five drafts. He followed Isaiah Foskey (2023), Daelin Hayes (2021), Adetokunbo Ogundeji (2021), Julian Okwara (2020) and Khalid Kareem (2020).
Rivals projected Jean-Baptiste as an eventual draft pick with a four-star rating in the 2018 class. He was ranked as the No. 30 outside linebacker in the country coming out of Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic.
Saturday became a big day for former Notre Dame players with three selected in the fifth round: cornerback Cam Hart, linebacker JD Bertrand and running back Audric Estimé. Jean-Baptiste's selection upped Notre Dame's total to seven in this year's draft. The first three selections were offensive tackles Joe Alt (first round) and Blake Fisher (second round) and linebacker Marist Liufau (third round).
The Commanders did not have any former Notre Dame players on their roster prior to Saturday, but the organization clearly paid close attention to ND's Pro Day when general manager Adam Peters, head coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury were in attendance.
After the draft, reports indicated that former Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman signed Saturday with the Commanders as undrafted free agent. So did linebacker Bo Bauer, who last played for the Irish in 2022.
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