The Washington Commanders selected former Notre Dame defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Jean-Baptiste was chosen by the Commanders with the No. 222 overall pick. It marks the second straight season that Notre Dame has had a defensive end drafted in back-to-back years.
Jean-Baptiste transferred to Notre Dame for the 2023 season after spending the previous five seasons at Ohio State. During his five years with the Buckeyes, Jean-Baptiste had 51 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
The New Jersey native had a breakout campaign with the Irish and was a key member in a defensive line that fueled the defense. Notre Dame finished the season with the 7th best scoring defense (15.9) in college football, the 5th best defense in fewest yards allowed per game (276.3) and 5th in the country in fewest yards allowed per play (4.4). Jean-Baptiste finished his one season in South Bend with 49 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks.
Jean-Baptiste was an impact pass rusher for Notre Dame. He finished second on the defense with 38 total quarterback pressures, which was just one behind All-American DT Howard Cross. Jean-Baptiste led the Irish defense with 16 combined hits on the quarterback (hits + sacks). He had more pressures and more hits on the quarterback in 2023 than former Irish standout - and 2023 second round draft pick - Isaiah Foskey had in 2022.
The surprise with Jean-Baptiste was how effective he was against the run. He finished the 2023 season with 28 run stops (PFF) and led the Irish defense with 10.5 tackles for loss. His 28 run stops was also more than what Foskey produced in 2022. Jean-Baptiste also proved himself to be a big game and big moment player by shining in several big moments this season. His pressures on USC quarterback Caleb Williams played a big role in the Irish defense dominating Williams and the Trojan offense.
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