A-
Washington Commanders
McCarthy is the plan now, and the Commanders grade out a A-.
by Cj5moker ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 6 steals
· 6 reaches
The search is over. The Commanders handed the keys to J.J. McCarthy, and the whole operation now runs on his development.
The McGlothern value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. The cost of the McCormick reach is exactly the players who went right after him. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class.
They punted on interior defensive lineman, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
Bottom line, they left the weekend a clearly better team, and they earned every bit of it.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 11 they get the arm they will build around, a steep price for the projection. A real need, handled.
In the 24th overall pick they get a sticky cover corner. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Cooper Beebe. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Malachi Corley in the Round 2 slot is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
No drama and no debate, Patrick Paul went about where he belonged in No. 67. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid up for Khyree Jackson at slot 78 when waiting would have done the job. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A straight-up fair deal on Jaden Hicks at the 86th pick, value and slot in agreement. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
The board had Brandon Dorlus higher than pick 87, and the edge rusher fell to them anyway. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Fair-plus on Blake Corum, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They talked themselves into Christian Jones at the Round 3 slot, and the board did not agree. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Mason McCormick. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Johnny Wilson at the 129th pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
James Williams at pick 139 is money in the bank, a linebacker taken below his worth. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A cornerback of that caliber at pick No. 202 is the definition of value, full stop. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Brevyn Spann-Ford in slot 222 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Nathaniel Watson slipping to No. 223 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
They read the board right and Garret Greenfield was the payoff at pick No. 233. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They let Michael Barrett come to them and pounced at Round 7, Pick 25. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.