D
Washington Commanders
Quarterback settled, Maye in the fold, and a D for the Commanders.
by CJ5moker ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 26 picks
· 4 steals
· 9 reaches
The war room fell hard for Mason McCormick, and it showed at No. 90: 56 picks ahead of a board that had other ideas. Too much went sideways, and the D is the honest tally.
The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. Whatever Drake Maye becomes, the front office has tied its fortunes to the answer. Polk falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get the arm they will build around. A clean fit for the roster.
Graham Barton in Round 1, Pick 27 is fair value, right on his grade. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A premium they did not need to pay, Chris Braswell a notch or two before his time. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Jordan Morgan at pick No. 35 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They took Ennis Rakestraw Jr. at par in the 36th overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They paid sticker price for T'Vondre Sweat in slot 40, and that is fine. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They paid up for Devontez Walker at Round 2, Pick 22 when waiting would have done the job. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Edgerrin Cooper in No. 58 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A minor itch, scratched.
No drama and no debate, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. went about where he belonged in the Round 3 slot. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
They jumped the gun on Cade Stover, taking him earlier than his grade liked. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
The board had cheaper options than Khyree Jackson at the 68th pick, and it noticed. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Michael Hall Jr. at the 71st overall pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Mason McCormick at pick No. 90 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They robbed the room for Ja'Lynn Polk here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A wild overpay on James Williams in slot 100, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A straight-up fair deal on Will Shipley at the 102nd overall pick, value and slot in agreement. A need, and now a little less of one.
By-the-book stuff, Mekhi Wingo at the Round 4 slot squarely in line with his ranking. The roster fit checks out.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Christian Jones. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Cedric Gray at Round 4, Pick 15 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Johnny Wilson in pick No. 126 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Ainias Smith. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Tykee Smith slipping to pick 169 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
No edge and no loss on Ty'Ron Hopper in pick 179; it is a wash and a sensible one. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
A market-rate quarterback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Joe Milton III. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board had Jaylan Ford higher than the 219th overall pick, and the linebacker fell to them anyway. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They reached a country mile for Brevyn Spann-Ford at Round 7, Pick 2, and the board is aghast. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.