A-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders robbed the room for Jones. Final grade: A-.
by dspencer68 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 1 reaches
Whoever sat across the table from the Commanders should ask for a receipt. They cleaned the room out, prying loose far more value than they gave up, and it was the quiet MVP of their weekend.
The Jones value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. The Milton III reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. They punted on running back, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
Add it up and this is about as clean as a draft weekend gets.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 6th overall pick they get a matchup weapon at tight end. The biggest hole, addressed.
No edge and no loss on Jordan Morgan in pick 36; it is a wash and a sensible one. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Payton Wilson in slot 39 is fair value, right on his grade. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They took Chris Braswell at par in the 40th pick, which is nothing to complain about. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Caelen Carson in pick No. 101 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A straight-up fair deal on Zak Zinter at Round 4, Pick 3, value and slot in agreement. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Ainias Smith in slot 138 lands just on the right side of the ledger. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Joe Milton III at No. 181 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
You do not let a cornerback like Elijah Jones reach pick 220 and blink. They did not. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.