C+
Washington Commanders
The Commanders left with their quarterback, and a C+ to match.
by Kates ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 4 reaches
There is reaching, and then there is Tanner McLachlan at No. 40. The Commanders jumped the board by 168 and dared it to prove them wrong. A mixed bag that lands at C+.
Everything downstream of Jayden Daniels depends on Jayden Daniels, and the building knows it. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
So much rides on Jayden Daniels that the real verdict is a season or two away.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get the face of the franchise. A real need, handled.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Kingsley Suamataia this early at Round 2, Pick 4. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Tanner McLachlan in the 40th pick, miles early. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A clean, defensible pick in the 67th overall pick with a little surplus value in Kamren Kinchens. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Good price on Malik Washington in pick 100, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They liked Jarrian Jones enough to skip the value, taking him in slot 124. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
No edge and no loss on Ben Sinnott in No. 131; it is a wash and a sensible one. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A tidy bit of business in the 179th pick, where Malik Mustapha graded well above the range. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Value said wait; KT Leveston in pick 222 says they were not listening. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.