D-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders lost the trade table, and the D- tells the story.
by 101 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
The Commanders clearly saw something nobody else did in Matthew Jones, taking him 49 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced. The board pushed back all weekend, and the D- is the result.
The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. The tight end spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
They are betting the present roster is worth a lighter draft next spring. The Barton value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and tight end is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
A straight-up fair deal on Marvin Harrison Jr. at pick No. 2, value and slot in agreement. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
The board had Graham Barton higher than the 36th overall pick, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in the 40th pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Chris Braswell at Round 2, Pick 19 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the edge rusher. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Payton Wilson at the Round 3 slot. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
No edge and no loss on Michael Hall Jr. in slot 78; it is a wash and a sensible one. A need, and now a little less of one.
Blake Corum in Round 3, Pick 20 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Gabriel Murphy at pick 98 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They did well to land Brenden Rice in pick No. 100, just ahead of his grade. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They went early on Roger Rosengarten in the 119th overall pick, and the value did not follow. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid sticker price for Tommy Eichenberg in No. 139, and that is fine. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Kitan Oladapo at slot 152 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A minor need, but a need all the same.
They read the board right and Kamal Hadden was the payoff at the 178th pick. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Tanor Bortolini is a better player than the Round 6 slot suggests; smart patience, rewarded. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They reached a country mile for Matthew Jones at the 222nd pick, and the board is aghast. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.