Washington Commanders select former Notre Dame DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste in seventh round of 2024 NFL Draft
Ohio State transfer defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste‘s lone season at Notre Dame couldn’t have gone much better than it did. He earned himself a spot in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Washington Commanders selected Jean-Baptiste with the No. 222 overall pick in seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft, making him the seventh former Fighting Irish player selected.
After winning the starting strong-side defensive end job in early September, Jean-Baptiste started the season’s final 12 games and became a force on Notre Dame’s defensive line. He blew past his career highs with 49 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 38 quarterback pressures and 28 defensive stops (tackles that result in a failure for the offense).
Jean-Baptiste totaled 5.0 sacks in a blue and gold uniform, including 4.5 in his final four games. He also forced a fumble in the Sun Bowl against Oregon State and returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown in Week 13 against Stanford.
The Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic graduate impressed scouts with his motor, strength and athleticism as a pass rusher. He has leadership qualities as well, being named a captain for the Sun Bowl after just one season with the Irish.
Jean-Baptiste transferred to Notre Dame after four years with the Buckeyes, and he loved his time in Columbus, Ohio. He left because his path to a starting job was blocked by two potential first-rounders in the 2025 draft, Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau.
When he arrived in South Bend, he quickly meshed with his new teammates and became a locker-room favorite, eventually leading to Irish head coach Marcus Freeman naming him captain for his final game.
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“Sometimes when you’re going into a new place, you don’t know a lot of people,” Jean-Baptiste said on Feb. 28 at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “You’re a little standoff-ish at first, just trying to get the vibe of the room. But if you go in there being yourself and being optimistic about everything and really get to learn people, learn their stories, it allows you to bond and get closer.
“When it comes to the NFL, there’s a lot of vets and older guys who will be in that building. … I can create a bond with them.”
At the Combine, Jean-Baptiste posted a relative athletic score (RAS) of 9.22. That ranked No. 142 out of 1,798 defensive ends from 1987 to 2024, and he did it despite weighing in at 239 pounds (he played at 260) due to a bout with foot poisoning the night before his workout.
Weight is heavily factored into the RAS calculation — it’s built to measure athleticism relative to size — and Jean-Baptiste still posted an elite score. His 40-yard dash of 4.66 ranked in the 79th percentile at his position, while his broad jump of 127 inches ranked in the 92nd percentile.
Jean-Baptiste is the second former Irish edge rusher in as many seasons to be selected in the NFL draft. The New Orleans Saints drafted Vyper Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame’s all-time sack leader, in the second round in 2023.
