B
Washington Commanders
The Commanders let Clark fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by a ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 1 reaches
When a board-topper like De'Corian Clark slides to pick 223, you do not overthink it, and the Commanders did not.
The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer. They will need Sanders to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a blindside protector. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Adonai Mitchell at Round 2, Pick 4 squarely in line with his ranking. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They went early on Ja'Tavion Sanders in the 40th pick, and the value did not follow. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. at pick No. 67 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Mike Sainristil at No. 100. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A tidy bit of business in pick 102, where Zak Zinter graded well above the range. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Fair-plus on Kamal Hadden, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
No edge and no loss on Josh Proctor in slot 181; it is a wash and a sensible one. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
De'Corian Clark at No. 223 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.