A-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders found their guy under center in Daniels: A-.
by bshea ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 2 steals
· 1 reaches
After circling the position for what felt like forever, the Commanders committed. Jayden Daniels is the quarterback now, and the roster gets built to his timeline. The sum of the weekend is a deserved A-.
The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. That James pick is the receipt they will wave around later.
It is not that Solomon is a bad player; it is that the Commanders had louder needs to answer first. They are betting Powers-Johnson proves the room right and everyone else wrong.
The interior defensive lineman spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
It is a haul that will look even better come September.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 7 they get a franchise quarterback at fair value. A real need, handled.
Xavier Legette at the 34th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Jackson Powers-Johnson in slot 36 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
By-the-book stuff, Graham Barton at No. 50 squarely in line with his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
No drama and no debate, Kingsley Suamataia went about where he belonged in the 53rd overall pick. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Junior Colson. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went OLB-EDGE with Javon Solomon while clear needs at interior defensive lineman sat open.
Mohamed Kamara in the Round 4 slot is fair value, right on his grade. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Ben Sinnott in pick 138 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
DJ James at pick No. 145 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A tidy little value on Keith Randolph Jr. in No. 163, a step better than break-even. It fills a real need, too.
Fair-plus on Zion Tupuola-Fetui, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Nothing to complain about; Jordan Magee went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
They will replay Jawhar Jordan at the 244th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.