A-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders fleeced the room on the phones and earned a A-.
by bshea ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 20 picks
· 6 steals
· 8 reaches
The war room fell hard for James Williams, and it showed at the Round 3 slot: 34 picks ahead of a board that had other ideas. A near-flawless weekend of work, and a A- to cap it.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. The Tampa pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged.
Wide receiver was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job. Stockpiling next year's capital is patient, if unglamorous, asset work.
In the end it comes back to Olumuyiwa Fashanu, and a haul good enough to build on right away.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 14 they get protection for the quarterback at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Troy Franklin at Round 2, Pick 4 is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board had Quinyon Mitchell higher than the 40th pick, and the cornerback fell to them anyway. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They took Patrick Paul at par in No. 49, which is nothing to complain about. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A straight-up fair deal on Graham Barton at the 50th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Edgerrin Cooper in pick No. 53 is fair value, right on his grade. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Xavier Worthy slipping to slot 57 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Taking J.J. McCarthy in pick 65 is close to grand larceny; a quarterback that good had no business lasting this long. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
T.J. Tampa in Round 3, Pick 3 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Junior Colson in the 70th overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
A market-rate running back, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Blake Corum. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Khyree Jackson at the Round 3 slot is a conviction pick that outran the value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
James Williams at pick No. 100 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Nelson Ceaser in No. 102 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They reached into another round for Ben Sinnott, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They talked themselves into Braelon Allen at pick No. 127, and the board did not agree. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They paid a round early for Joe Milton III in No. 156, more than the board wanted. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Circle this one: Cedric Gray at Round 5, Pick 21 is a fall that decides a draft. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
A big swing on Gabe Hall at slot 182, well ahead of any board in the building. The roster fit checks out.
Carson Steele at pick 242 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.