A-
Washington Commanders
McCarthy is the plan now, and the Commanders grade out a A-.
by bshea ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Commanders spent their marquee pick on J.J. McCarthy, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback.
Every board in the league had Milton III lower, and that gap is the story. The Rosemy-Jacksaint pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through tight end.
Bottom line, they did the job about as well as it can be done.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 28 they get the arm they will build around. A clean fit for the roster.
They paid sticker price for Jonathon Brooks in pick No. 46, and that is fine. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Kingsley Suamataia in the Round 2 slot is fair value, right on his grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Junior Colson at the 53rd overall pick is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the linebacker. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They read the board right and Kris Jenkins was the payoff at No. 59. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Patrick Paul in the 62nd pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A straight-up fair deal on Cooper Beebe at Round 3, Pick 7, value and slot in agreement. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Khyree Jackson in slot 72 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Devontez Walker in No. 82, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Zak Zinter in the 93rd overall pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No drama and no debate, Braelon Allen went about where he belonged in the Round 4 slot. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
No edge and no loss on James Williams in the 112th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Mohamed Kamara at pick No. 124 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They took Kitan Oladapo at par in slot 150, which is nothing to complain about. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Joe Milton III at Round 5, Pick 25 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The roster fit checks out.
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint at pick 220 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Jordan Magee at slot 248 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.