B-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders bet the future on Penix Jr.. The board says B-.
by AndySawyer ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 2 steals
· 1 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Commanders spent their marquee pick on Michael Penix Jr., and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. They moved the roster forward and banked a B- for it.
The running back hole is the one line item this class does not answer. If one pick saves this weekend, it is Speights.
The Colson pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over.
Good work on the whole, with running back the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 5 they get a passer to set the clock by at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
They paid sticker price for Troy Fautanu in the Round 2 slot, and that is fine. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Graham Barton in Round 2, Pick 5 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
By-the-book stuff, Xavier Legette at the 40th overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Josh Newton is a better player than No. 67 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A clean, defensible pick in pick No. 100 with a little surplus value in Tykee Smith. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Junior Colson at the 102nd pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A minor itch, scratched.
A market-rate tight end, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Theo Johnson. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jaylen Harrell in No. 181 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A quiet steal in the Round 7 slot: Omar Speights for less than the market said. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.