B
Washington Commanders
The Commanders left with their quarterback, and a B to match.
by BaronVonMonkey ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 8 steals
· 5 reaches
The tape said wait; the Commanders did not. Trajan Jeffcoat went at pick No. 236, a good 72 picks before the board was ready.
Caleb Williams gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits. That McConkey pick is the receipt they will wave around later.
They punted on running back, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but running back.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 2 they get a franchise quarterback at fair value. A real need, handled.
Taliese Fuaga at the 36th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Troy Fautanu slipping to No. 40 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Steal is underselling it; Ladd McConkey at pick 71 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Javon Bullard in the 78th overall pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Value said wait; Theo Johnson in Round 3, Pick 23 says they were not listening. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Value with a capital V on Andru Phillips in the 100th overall pick, a genuine coup. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They talked themselves into Luke McCaffrey at pick 114, and the board did not agree. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Xavier Thomas at Round 4, Pick 36 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board fumbled Elijah Jones all the way to No. 152, and they scooped it up. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Marist Liufau at slot 162 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They read the board right and Tip Reiman was the payoff at pick No. 197. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, Johnny Dixon in the Round 7 slot, plain and simple. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Trajan Jeffcoat this early at the 236th pick. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
This one needs a full-page explanation: J.J. Weaver in Round 7, Pick 36, miles early. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.