A-
Washington Commanders
Larceny in the Round 6 slot lands the Commanders a A-, Smith-Wade and all.
by mwilliams ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 21 picks
· 6 steals
· 3 reaches
Whoever sat across the table from the Commanders should ask for a receipt. They cleaned the room out, prying loose far more value than they gave up, and it was the quiet MVP of their weekend. Add it all up and it grades out a clean A-.
They banked enough surplus on Smith-Wade to cover a lot of smaller sins. Every board in the league had Robinson lower, and that gap is the story.
A strong weekend's work, and a rare one to find this little fault with.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 13 they get a long-term starter on the line at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
Troy Fautanu at the 36th overall pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They did well to land Chris Braswell in slot 39, just ahead of his grade. It fills a real need, too.
Troy Franklin is a better player than Round 2, Pick 8 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Fair-plus on T.J. Tampa, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Kris Jenkins in the 44th pick is fair value, right on his grade. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They took Jackson Powers-Johnson at par in pick No. 52, which is nothing to complain about. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A slide stopped in the 67th pick, with Josh Newton worth more than the price. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Cooper Beebe in the 68th overall pick 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.
Value with a capital V on Michael Hall Jr. in No. 100, a genuine coup. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
No drama and no debate, Jacob Cowing went about where he belonged in pick 102. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They liked Darius Robinson enough to skip the value, taking him in Round 4, Pick 7. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Nothing to complain about; Jaden Hicks went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
They jumped the gun on Tommy Eichenberg, taking him earlier than his grade liked. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Good price on Ben Sinnott in the Round 5 slot, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Braelon Allen in the 157th pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Justin Rogers. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Steal is underselling it; Chau Smith-Wade at No. 181 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They let Nathan Thomas come to them and pounced at slot 182. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A tidy little value on Taulia Tagovailoa in the 223rd overall pick, a step better than break-even. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Sheridan Jones in pick 234 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.