D-
Washington Commanders
A franchise passer in Maye headlines a D- weekend for the Commanders.
by CJ5moker ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 16 picks
· 2 steals
· 7 reaches
It is the swing that defines the weekend: Mason McCormick in the Round 3 slot, a good 69 spots before the room expected him. A D- that will need time and luck to look better.
They have staked the next five years on Drake Maye, which is the only story that really matters here. Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Tracy Jr..
In short, the board sent warnings, and they will be hoping it was wrong.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 2nd pick they get the arm they will build around. A clean fit for the roster.
Joe Alt at Round 1, Pick 6 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
In No. 27 they get a sticky cover corner at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Darius Robinson at the 35th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A need, and now a little less of one.
Payton Wilson in pick 39 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It adds depth where they could use a little.
The board had cheaper options than T'Vondre Sweat at the Round 2 slot, and it noticed. It fills a real need, too.
They jumped the gun on Cooper Beebe, taking him earlier than his grade liked. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Ricky Pearsall is a better player than pick 67 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A wild overpay on Mason McCormick in pick No. 90, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Will Shipley in the 99th overall pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
James Williams at the Round 4 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
A big swing on Johnny Wilson at the 103rd pick, well ahead of any board in the building. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid sticker price for Tommy Eichenberg in slot 138, and that is fine. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Taking Tyrone Tracy Jr. in No. 140 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They reached a country mile for Jared Wiley at Round 6, Pick 3, and the board is aghast. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
By-the-book stuff, Garret Greenfield at pick 222 squarely in line with his ranking. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.