Washington Commanders select Javontae Jean-Baptiste in seventh round of 2024 NFL Draft

Former Notre Dame EDGE Javontae Jean-Baptiste was selected by the Washington Commanders with the No. 222 pick in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Jean-Baptise played four seasons at Ohio State before using his final year at Notre Dame this past fall. He set career highs with the Fighting Irish.

In 2023, Jean-Baptiste had 49 total tackles, 21 solo tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, one pass deflections, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. Over the course of his career, he had 100 total tackles, 46 solo tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, two pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.

As a member of the Class of 2018, Jean-Baptiste was a four-star recruit out of Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 6 overall prospect in the state, the No. 23 linebacker in the class and the No. 201 overall prospect in the class.

What draft analysts are saying about Javontae Jean-Baptiste

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein evaluated the tape and gave his take on Jean-Baptiste’s pro prospects. He was a projected sixth round pick.

“After a five-year run at Ohio State with modest production, Jean-Baptiste’s Notre Dame tape has put him in position to become a developmental Day 3 draft pick,” Zierlein wrote. “He has good length but lacks play strength to stack and discard tackles. He’ll need to hit the weights to improve his anchor, but he has the footwork and agility to slide off of block sustain and make tackles.

“He’s a step slow off the snap, dulling his ability to outrace tackles to the edge, but he flashes the hands and hips to become a more impactful rusher if teams rewire his rush plan. There is still a level of upside available for Jean-Baptiste.”