A-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders answered their biggest question with Maye. Grade: A-.
by Cj5moker ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
The Commanders spent the pick that matters most on Drake Maye, and a roster that has been waiting on a passer can start to take shape.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Cowing. They will need McCormick to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. Spending an early pick on linebacker with edge rusher, running back and other spots open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to.
Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
Bottom line, with Drake Maye leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 5 they get their guy under center for the next decade. A real need, handled.
Jordan Morgan at the 37th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No drama and no debate, Cooper Beebe went about where he belonged in Round 2, Pick 8. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Edgerrin Cooper at No. 51 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A straight-up fair deal on Cade Stover at the Round 3 slot, value and slot in agreement. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Khyree Jackson in pick 78 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, James Williams adds a linebacker and leaves edge rusher, running back and other spots untouched.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Mason McCormick this early at slot 100. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Johnny Wilson in pick 122 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Ben Sinnott slipping to the 139th overall pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, Elijah Jones in No. 140, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
You do not let a wide receiver like Jacob Cowing reach the 195th pick and blink. They did not. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Garret Greenfield at Round 7, Pick 2 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.