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It seems that someone always has a Daniel Snyder story these days. His former team, the Washington Commanders, is surrounded by nothing but good vibes. After he sold the team in July 2023, the Commanders had their best season in 33 years last season, going 12-5 and reaching the NFC championship game.
Scot McCloughan served as Washington’s general manager during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. McCloughan was fired in March 2017 when rumors circulated about his personal problems. While McCloughan didn’t do a great job as GM of the then-Redskins, he didn’t deserve the treatment he received.
Such was life under Snyder and former team president Bruce Allen.
While Washington fans have happily moved on from that era, there’s always a good story or two. On Thursday, McCloughan joined Kevin Sheehan’s radio show on Team 980 in Washington, D.C., and told an interesting story.
Sheehan, a University of Maryland graduate and huge fan, told McCloughan how much he wanted Washington to draft former Terps star Stefon Diggs in the 2015 NFL draft. McCloughan didn’t take Diggs and instead chose Jamison Crowder. The Minnesota Vikings chose Diggs in the fifth round, and he would become a superstar.
Crowder remains in the NFL and rejoined Washington over the last two years. But he’s not Diggs. McCloughan said he wanted Diggs. Snyder said no.
“You know, that 2015 draft, just because I’m a Maryland guy, I was screaming Diggs,” Sheehan told McCloughan after the ex-GM compared Commanders’ rookie WR Jaylin Lane to Crowder. “And I know he had been hurt and there were some injuries, and with Stefon, there were some issues off the field and character-wise and the whole thing, but…..”
McCloughan then told Sheehan he had a story he could tell about that situation, but not on the radio. After a bit, McCloughan relented.
“I was told I couldn’t by the owner, he was sitting next to me when the scouts told me about him,” McCloughan said. “He’s like, ‘we can’t draft him,'” likely due to his perceived off-field issues. “I wanted Diggs. He was the highest-rated guy on my board at the time.” McCloughan said Diggs was the highest-rated rated player on his board when the Redskins took Crowder in the fourth round, and said then-head coach Jay Gruden wanted no part of Diggs either.
It’s easy in hindsight to say you liked a player but someone else overruled you. McCloughan has no reason to lie. He’s not angling for another NFL job, as he is a draft consultant for multiple teams.
However, McCloughan is also the GM who chose Josh Doctson in the first round (2016) and Su’a Cravens in the second round (2016).
You can listen to the entire segment of the “Kevin Sheehan Show” here.
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