A-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders let McCoy fall and pounced. Final grade: A-.
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2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 2 steals
· 6 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Commanders watched Bru McCoy slide 34 picks past his grade and did not hesitate. One of the weekend's best, top to bottom, and a A- to show for it.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. Every board in the league had Sinnott lower, and that gap is the story. A whole weekend of picks and quarterback is somehow still a want.
The veteran additions, Devin White chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
The kind of weekend a front office frames and hangs on the wall.
Pick-by-Pick
Josh Newton at the 35th pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A reach for Patrick Paul in the 36th overall pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
No edge and no loss on Jordan Morgan in the Round 2 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Cooper Beebe in pick No. 42 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Cooper DeJean slipping to No. 71 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A big swing on Ben Sinnott at Round 3, Pick 37, well ahead of any board in the building. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They liked Tommy Eichenberg enough to skip the value, taking him in slot 107. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Jalen McMillan in pick 108 is fair value, right on his grade. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Frank Gore Jr. at Round 5, Pick 8 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They paid sticker price for Oronde Gadsden II in pick No. 186, and that is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Nelson Ceaser at No. 188 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It fills a real need, too.
DeWayne Carter at pick 194 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They barely believed it either: Bru McCoy still on the board at the 218th overall pick. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A wild overpay on Rylie Mills in the 228th pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.