After circling the position for what felt like forever, the Commanders committed. Caleb Williams is the quarterback now, and the roster gets built to his timeline. It nets out to a B, which feels about right.
The Trotter Jr. pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. The phones were where this weekend was really won. If Harris Jr. pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about.
The Commanders indulged a want in Trotter Jr. while a need in interior defensive lineman stayed open. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped interior defensive lineman, which is a strange place to end up.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the interior defensive lineman spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.2
· Pick 2
· Caleb Williams
· QB
· rank 2
In No. 2 they get a passer to set the clock by. A clean fit for the roster.
R2.4
· Pick 36
· Brian Thomas Jr.
· WR
· rank 21
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Brian Thomas Jr. in Round 2, Pick 4. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R2.8
· Pick 40
· Amarius Mims
· OT
· rank 20
Amarius Mims in pick 40 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R3.3
· Pick 67
· Edgerrin Cooper
· LB
· rank 61
Edgerrin Cooper in slot 67 lands just on the right side of the ledger. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
R3.37
· Pick 100
· Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
· LB
· rank 64
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Jeremiah Trotter Jr. at linebacker with interior defensive lineman open.
R4.8
· Pick 108
· Braelon Allen
· RB
· rank 105
Braelon Allen at the Round 4 slot is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R4.30
· Pick 130
· Cade Stover
· TE-EDGE
· rank 127
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Cade Stover adds a TE-EDGE and leaves interior defensive lineman untouched.
R5.5
· Pick 141
· Mike Sainristil
· CB
· rank 135
Nothing to complain about; Mike Sainristil went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R5.12
· Pick 148
· Malik Washington
· WR
· rank 158
Malik Washington in the Round 5 slot is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R5.24
· Pick 160
· Cole Bishop
· S
· rank 148
Cole Bishop in the 160th pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A minor itch, scratched.
R5.29
· Pick 165
· McCallan Castles
· TE
· rank 147
McCallan Castles at Round 5, Pick 29 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R6.4
· Pick 179
· Kaden Prather
· WR
· rank 174
A clean, defensible pick in pick No. 179 with a little surplus value in Kaden Prather. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R7.3
· Pick 223
· Donovan Jennings
· OT
· rank 244
They left a pile of value on the table to take Donovan Jennings this early at pick 223. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R7.10
· Pick 230
· Donell Harris Jr.
· DL-EDGE
· rank 260
Donell Harris Jr. at slot 230 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It fills a real need, too.
