B+
Washington Commanders
The Commanders fleeced the room on the phones and earned a B+.
by mwilliams ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 3 steals
· 6 reaches
The Commanders looked at the value chart, folded it up, and took Ben Sinnott at slot 103 regardless, 40 picks early.
The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. Williams falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. That quarterback hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
The veteran additions, Tyjae Spears chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the quarterback spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 9th overall pick they get a cornerstone up front at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In No. 27 they get protection for the quarterback. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
No edge and no loss on Chop Robinson in Round 2, Pick 3; it is a wash and a sensible one. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A conviction pick on Jackson Powers-Johnson at the 36th pick that the board grades a round light. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Chris Braswell well ahead of where he belonged. A need, and now a little less of one.
A reach on Ja'Tavion Sanders in pick No. 40; the board had better options right there. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Payton Wilson at Round 3, Pick 3 squarely in line with his ranking. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Cooper Beebe at the Round 3 slot is a conviction pick that outran the value. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
You do not let a wide receiver like Roman Wilson reach the 101st overall pick and blink. They did not. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Ben Sinnott at slot 103 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They did well to land Audric Estime in pick No. 105, just ahead of his grade. The roster fit checks out.
No drama and no debate, Khyree Jackson went about where he belonged in pick 106. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid sticker price for DJ James in the 111th pick, and that is fine. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
James Williams in No. 138 lands just on the right side of the ledger. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Jaylan Ford in Round 6, Pick 6 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
AJ Barner at pick 184 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Jared Wiley is a better player than slot 220 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They will replay Isaiah Williams at pick No. 222 for years; that is how good the value is. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.