B-
Washington Commanders
Maye is the plan now, and the Commanders grade out a B-.
by db ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
After circling the position for what felt like forever, the Commanders committed. Drake Maye is the quarterback now, and the roster gets built to his timeline. Good, not great, and the B- says as much.
The Wilson pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. The Smith pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at cornerback, edge rusher and other spots.
The Smith pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. The cornerback hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the cornerback spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 2nd overall pick they get their guy under center for the next decade. A clean fit for the roster.
Payton Wilson in pick 36 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They paid sticker price for Adonai Mitchell in Round 2, Pick 8, and that is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A quiet steal in pick No. 67: Kiran Amegadjie for less than the market said. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Zak Zinter in No. 100 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose DT-EDGE. Maason Smith in slot 102 leaves cornerback, edge rusher and other spots for later.
The board had cheaper options than Ben Sinnott at the 141st pick, and it noticed. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Bryson Nesbit at the Round 6 slot is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Cody Schrader in slot 223 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.