A-
Washington Commanders
A franchise passer in Daniels headlines a A- weekend for the Commanders.
by bshea ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 4 steals
· 5 reaches
The Commanders treated their own grade as gospel and everyone else's as noise, spending Round 7, Pick 14 on Myles Jones a full 62 spots early. It holds up to a second look, which is why it earns the A-.
Jayden Daniels is the bet, and the class will be judged on how it pays off. On value alone, Harden makes the weekend a net positive. The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend.
Spending an early pick on TE-EDGE with tight end and interior defensive lineman open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to. The tight end hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
It is a haul that will look even better come September.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get their guy under center for the next decade. A real need, handled.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jordan Morgan. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Adisa Isaac at No. 58. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
No edge and no loss on Xavier Legette in the 67th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Kiran Amegadjie in Round 3, Pick 6 lands just on the right side of the ledger. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They jumped the gun on Khyree Jackson, taking him earlier than his grade liked. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
By-the-book stuff, Sedrick Van Pran at the Round 3 slot squarely in line with his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose TE-EDGE. Cade Stover in pick 87 leaves tight end and interior defensive lineman for later.
Braelon Allen at pick No. 101 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It fills a real need, too.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Javon Solomon adds an OLB-EDGE and leaves tight end and interior defensive lineman untouched.
James Williams at Round 4, Pick 13 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A conviction pick on Johnny Wilson at slot 114 that the board grades a round light. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Cedric Gray at No. 115 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A minor itch, scratched.
They let Beau Brade come to them and pounced at the 147th pick. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
They paid a round early for Joe Milton III in the 181st overall pick, more than the board wanted. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Steal is underselling it; Walter Rouse at slot 195 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Taking Myles Harden in the Round 6 slot is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Myles Jones well ahead of where he belonged. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.