B+
Washington Commanders
The Commanders left with their quarterback, and a B+ to match.
by mikenerp ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 2 reaches
The search is over. The Commanders handed the keys to Caleb Williams, and the whole operation now runs on his development. It nets out to a B+, which feels about right.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. Powell-Ryland has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced.
It is not that Eichenberg is a bad player; it is that the Commanders had louder needs to answer first. That running back hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
Good work on the whole, with running back the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get their guy under center for the next decade. A clean fit for the roster.
Troy Fautanu at pick 40 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They took Patrick Paul at par in the 54th overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in No. 67 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went linebacker with Tommy Eichenberg while clear needs at running back and interior defensive lineman sat open.
Nothing to complain about; J. Michael Sturdivant went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A slide stopped in the 141st pick, with Nehemiah Pritchett worth more than the price. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Trey Knox at pick No. 181 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Antwaun Powell-Ryland at pick No. 223 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.