B
Washington Commanders
A passer of the future in Maye, and a B, for the Commanders.
by Buck ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 16 picks
· 7 steals
· 1 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Commanders spent their marquee pick on Drake Maye, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. Call it a sensible B, earned the boring way.
They banked enough surplus on Braswell to cover a lot of smaller sins. The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. Spending an early pick on linebacker with interior defensive lineman open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped interior defensive lineman, which is a strange place to end up.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but interior defensive lineman.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 2 they get the face of the franchise at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
A slide stopped in the 36th overall pick, with Troy Fautanu worth more than the price. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
By-the-book stuff, Jackson Powers-Johnson at the Round 2 slot squarely in line with his ranking. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A premium they did not need to pay, Cooper Beebe a notch or two before his time. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
The board fumbled Chris Braswell all the way to the 89th pick, and they scooped it up. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They read the board right and Marist Liufau was the payoff at pick 100. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Bucky Irving slid further than he should have, and slot 102 is lovely value for the running back. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending pick No. 126 on Tyrice Knight with interior defensive lineman unsolved.
They took Dallin Holker at par in pick No. 141, which is nothing to complain about. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Michael Barrett at pick 181 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Josh Proctor at Round 6, Pick 29 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Jha'Quan Jackson in the 220th pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Myles Jones at the Round 7 slot is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the cornerback. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Erick All in No. 223 lands just on the right side of the ledger. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Circle this one: Christian Jones at slot 224 is a fall that decides a draft. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jaden Crumedy at the 232nd overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A pick in search of a role on this roster.