A-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders left with their quarterback, and a A- to match.
by bshea ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 3 steals
· 4 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Commanders spent their marquee pick on Jayden Daniels, 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. That is a linebacker worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly.
They will need Magee to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
Add it up and few war rooms did better this weekend, Jayden Daniels and all.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 6 they get their quarterback of the future. A clean fit for the roster.
Chris Braswell at pick No. 50 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
By-the-book stuff, Kingsley Suamataia at the 51st overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Patrick Paul. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Malachi Corley slipping to Round 3, Pick 2 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Xavier Legette in the Round 3 slot is fair value, right on his grade. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A slide stopped in pick 70, with Payton Wilson worth more than the price. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
The board had cheaper options than Khyree Jackson at the 71st pick, and it noticed. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Blake Corum at slot 88 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It fills a real need, too.
They paid sticker price for Leonard Taylor III in the 93rd overall pick, and that is fine. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
No drama and no debate, Braelon Allen went about where he belonged in Round 4, Pick 1. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Christian Mahogany at the 102nd pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They paid up for James Williams at pick 108 when waiting would have done the job. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A clean, defensible pick in No. 134 with a little surplus value in Ben Sinnott. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Joe Milton III in pick No. 181 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A need, and now a little less of one.
A reasonable price with a little left over, JD Bertrand in the Round 6 slot. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Value said wait; Jordan Magee in slot 220 says they were not listening. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.