B-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders lost the trade table, and the B- tells the story.
by bshea ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 2 steals
· 6 reaches
Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Commanders spent the Round 6 slot on De'Corian Clark, a name the board had a full 31 spots lower. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B-.
They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down. The tight end hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
The Colson pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at tight end. On value alone, Isaac makes the weekend a net positive.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the tight end spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
They paid sticker price for Chop Robinson in slot 36, and that is fine. It fills a real need, too.
No drama and no debate, Patrick Paul went about where he belonged in No. 40. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
By-the-book stuff, Jackson Powers-Johnson at pick 50 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 Kingsley Suamataia at the 53rd pick, value and slot in agreement. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Edgerrin Cooper in Round 2, Pick 28 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A conviction pick on Cooper Beebe at pick No. 66 that the board grades a round light. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
No edge and no loss on Johnny Wilson in pick No. 67; it is a wash and a sensible one. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They bypassed pressing needs at tight end to take Junior Colson, a linebacker that was not the priority.
The board had Adisa Isaac higher than No. 71, and the edge rusher fell to them anyway. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Khyree Jackson at Round 4, Pick 1 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Leonard Taylor III in the 103rd overall pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
James Williams at slot 138 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A reach for Braelon Allen in pick 147; a little patience would have been rewarded. The roster fit checks out.
Joe Milton III in the Round 5 slot is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They let Jaylen Wright come to them and pounced at the 174th overall pick. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They left a pile of value on the table to take De'Corian Clark this early at slot 181. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Myles Jones at the Round 6 slot is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.