B-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders checked most of the boxes and earned a B-.
by Dylzvs ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 5 reaches
The tape said wait; the Commanders did not. Jaheim Bell went at pick No. 71, a good 53 picks before the board was ready. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B-.
Sturdivant at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. A whole weekend of picks and quarterback is somehow still a want. They went 6 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but quarterback.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 7 they get a problem off the edge, even if it was a touch early. A clean fit for the roster.
They paid a round early for Cooper Beebe in the 36th overall pick, more than the board wanted. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Javon Foster at pick 39 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jaheim Bell at slot 71 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
No edge and no loss on Bucky Irving in No. 100; it is a wash and a sensible one. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
By-the-book stuff, Jason Marshall Jr. at the Round 4 slot squarely in line with his ranking. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A straight-up fair deal on Ty'Ron Hopper at pick 144, value and slot in agreement. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
They robbed the room for J. Michael Sturdivant here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Fentrell Cypress II well ahead of where he belonged. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.