A-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders answered their biggest question with Daniels. Grade: A-.
by Could work ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 6 steals
· 3 reaches
The rest of the league had time to spare on Tommy Eichenberg; the Commanders did not wait, grabbing him 67 spots ahead at slot 78.
Everything downstream of Jayden Daniels depends on Jayden Daniels, and the building knows it. The phones were where this weekend was really won.
They banked enough surplus on Johnson to cover a lot of smaller sins. The Commanders indulged a want in Eichenberg while a need in running back and interior defensive lineman stayed open.
For all the activity, running back went untouched, which is hard to explain.
In the end it comes back to Jayden Daniels, and a haul good enough to build on right away.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 8 they get the arm they will build around. A clean fit for the roster.
Nice patience on Troy Fautanu, who had no business lasting to the 36th overall pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Jackson Powers-Johnson at the Round 2 slot. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Fair-plus on Chris Braswell, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Kris Jenkins is a better player than pick 67 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They reached into another round for Cedric Gray, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Tommy Eichenberg at linebacker with running back and interior defensive lineman open.
Steal is underselling it; Cade Stover at the Round 3 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Max Melton in Round 3, Pick 37 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Mohamed Kamara at the 139th pick is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the edge rusher. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Joe Milton III at slot 152 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They robbed the room for Cornelius Johnson here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.