B-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders checked most of the boxes and earned a B-.
by Icepak ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
You can fall in love with a player. You are not supposed to marry him in the wrong round. The Commanders did exactly that with J. Michael Sturdivant in pick No. 107. Good, not great, and the B- says as much.
On value alone, Castles makes the weekend a net positive. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through quarterback. Wide receiver is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.
Good work on the whole, with quarterback the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 7 they get a long-term starter on the line at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
A tidy bit of business in the 36th pick, where Dallas Turner graded well above the range. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They went early on Cooper Beebe in pick 39, and the value did not follow. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Jackson Powers-Johnson at slot 71 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Smael Mondon Jr. in the Round 3 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
J. Michael Sturdivant at No. 107 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Raheim Sanders. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Cam Hart in the Round 6 slot lands just on the right side of the ledger. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A tight end of that caliber at No. 228 is the definition of value, full stop. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.