B+
Washington Commanders
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Commanders a B+.
by Commandersplan ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 1 steals
· 7 reaches
Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Commanders spent the 76th pick on Cedric Gray, a name the board had a full 59 spots lower. A dependable weekend that grades out a B+.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. The Commanders clearly valued win-now help, adding bodies who have done it before.
That Barton pick is the receipt they will wave around later.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
Chop Robinson at slot 36 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The roster fit checks out.
A real head-scratcher, Spencer Rattler in the Round 2 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Graham Barton in pick No. 59 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board had cheaper options than Malachi Corley at pick 67, and it noticed. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Cedric Gray well ahead of where he belonged. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
They reached a country mile for Khyree Jackson at the 85th overall pick, and the board is aghast. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Leonard Taylor III at the 100th overall pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. A need, and now a little less of one.
They jumped the gun on Tyrice Knight, taking him earlier than his grade liked. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Dillon Johnson in the Round 4 slot is fair value, right on his grade. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
By-the-book stuff, Jaheim Bell at No. 141 squarely in line with his ranking. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
No drama and no debate, Ty'Ron Hopper went about where he belonged in Round 5, Pick 13. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Gabe Hall in slot 181 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Zakhari Franklin. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.