B-
Washington Commanders
A passer of the future in Maye, and a B-, for the Commanders.
by ericsimmonsmecom ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 5 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. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B-.
Reaching for Ford left real value on the table behind him. For all the activity, wide receiver went untouched, which is hard to explain.
They banked enough surplus on Turner to cover a lot of smaller sins.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but wide receiver.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 4th overall pick they get their guy under center for the next decade. A clean fit for the roster.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Dallas Turner at the 36th pick. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Troy Fautanu at pick No. 37 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They paid sticker price for Sedrick Van Pran in Round 3, Pick 4, and that is fine. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Blake Fisher in No. 100 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A conviction pick on Donovan Jackson at pick 104 that the board grades a round light. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Jaylan Ford at the Round 5 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They paid a round early for Darius Robinson in slot 182, more than the board wanted. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They went early on Joshua Gray in slot 225, and the value did not follow. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.