D
Washington Commanders
The phones sank the Commanders this weekend: D.
by Only IF ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 6 steals
· 2 reaches
It is the swing that defines the weekend: Tommy Eichenberg in Round 4, Pick 1, a good 43 spots before the room expected him. Hard to defend, and the D reflects that.
The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. With running back unsolved, spending premium capital on linebacker is the choice that costs them. The running back spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
Landing Milton III that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
Add it up and it is a weekend the front office will hope everyone forgets, running back very much included.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 4 they get a matchup problem out wide. The biggest hole, addressed.
In pick 9 they get a moveable chess piece at tight end at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In the Round 1 slot they get a cornerstone up front, outstanding value to boot. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A tidy little value on Jackson Powers-Johnson in slot 35, a step better than break-even. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Circle this one: Dallas Turner at the 36th pick is a fall that decides a draft. It fills a real need, too.
By-the-book stuff, Payton Wilson at pick No. 40 squarely in line with his ranking. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
T'Vondre Sweat at the Round 3 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A want over a need in the 99th pick: Cedric Gray adds a linebacker while running back keeps waiting.
A surprising call. With running back still to address, they spent the 101st overall pick on Tommy Eichenberg, a linebacker they were not short of.
A tidy bit of business in No. 109, where Brenden Rice graded well above the range. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Christian Jones at slot 138 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Value with a capital V on Kamal Hadden in pick No. 178, a genuine coup. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Taking Joe Milton III in pick 222 is close to grand larceny; a quarterback that good had no business lasting this long. A need, and now a little less of one.