C+
Washington Commanders
The Commanders answered their biggest question with McCarthy. Grade: C+.
by emc2feld ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
After circling the position for what felt like forever, the Commanders committed. J.J. McCarthy is the quarterback now, and the roster gets built to his timeline. A weekend of give and take that grades a C+.
The Gargiulo pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back.
They will regret leaving wide receiver for another day if the season turns on it. Landing Benson that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
A perfectly average weekend, for better and for worse.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 18 they get a passer to set the clock by. A real need, handled.
Nice patience on Amarius Mims, who had no business lasting to pick No. 36. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Tyler Guyton at Round 2, Pick 8 is the proof. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
T.J. Tampa at the Round 2 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A reach for Brandon Dorlus in No. 70; a little patience would have been rewarded. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A straight-up fair deal on Marshawn Kneeland at the 78th pick, value and slot in agreement. The roster fit checks out.
Mike Sainristil slid further than he should have, and the 84th overall pick is lovely value for the cornerback. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Trey Benson is a better player than slot 100 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Theo Johnson in the Round 4 slot is fair value, right on his grade. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Jarrian Jones in the 139th pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid sticker price for Michael Pratt in pick No. 141, and that is fine. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They took Kitan Oladapo at par in the 152nd overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Nick Gargiulo at No. 222 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.