B+
Washington Commanders
A franchise passer in Daniels headlines a B+ weekend for the Commanders.
by emc2feld ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 21 picks
· 7 steals
· 5 reaches
Somebody in pick 181 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Commanders sat still while Josh Newton, the No. 121 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium.
They have staked the next five years on Jayden Daniels, which is the only story that really matters here. Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. Randolph Jr. has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
Jayden Daniels at No. 4 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
In the 27th overall pick they get protection for the quarterback at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Graham Barton at pick No. 36 is the proof. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A quiet steal in Round 2, Pick 5: Cooper DeJean for less than the market said. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Jordan Morgan in slot 40. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They did well to land Xavier Legette in the 41st pick, just ahead of his grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They took Cade Stover at par in the 67th overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Xavier Worthy at No. 90 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They jumped the gun on Cedric Gray, taking him earlier than his grade liked. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Spencer Rattler in pick 105 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Theo Johnson in pick No. 137. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A clean, defensible pick in the Round 5 slot with a little surplus value in Roger Rosengarten. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A reach for Jalyx Hunt in pick 140; a little patience would have been rewarded. It fills a real need, too.
A tidy little value on Tommy Eichenberg in the 152nd overall pick, a step better than break-even. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Josh Newton at Round 6, Pick 6 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jordan Jefferson at the 186th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Nothing to complain about; Tanor Bortolini went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They went early on Keith Randolph Jr. in No. 202, and the value did not follow. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Steal is underselling it; Jase McClellan at the 219th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Jaylan Ford at pick No. 222 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Dominique Hampton at pick 225 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It adds depth where they could use a little.