A-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders bet the future on Maye. The board says A-.
by bshea ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Commanders spent their marquee pick on Drake Maye, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. Williams has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced.
With tight end and running back unsolved, spending premium capital on TE-EDGE is the choice that costs them. Getting Carson where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
For all the activity, tight end went untouched, which is hard to explain.
Bottom line, with Drake Maye leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 7 they get a franchise quarterback at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
Chop Robinson in No. 36 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
By-the-book stuff, Graham Barton at the Round 2 slot squarely in line with his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Tyler Guyton in pick No. 49. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Johnny Wilson in Round 3, Pick 3 is fair value, right on his grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Junior Colson at the 70th pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A minor itch, scratched.
A reach on Leonard Taylor III in the 96th overall pick; the board had better options right there. It fills a real need, too.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Cade Stover adds a TE-EDGE and leaves tight end and running back untouched.
James Williams at pick 101 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A cornerback of that caliber at No. 103 is the definition of value, full stop. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
The board had cheaper options than Ethan Driskell at Round 6, Pick 6, and it noticed. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
De'Corian Clark slid further than he should have, and the 220th overall pick is lovely value for the wide receiver. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.