A-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders answered their biggest question with Penix Jr.. Grade: A-.
by TRENDFOX ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 5 steals
· 7 reaches
The Commanders put a flag in the ground for Erick All, 169 picks before anyone else would have, and the value took the hit. Just about everything broke right, and the A- follows.
They have staked the next five years on Michael Penix Jr., which is the only story that really matters here. Thomas Jr. falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast.
They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
Add it up and few war rooms did better this weekend, Michael Penix Jr. and all.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 18th overall pick they get the arm they will build around, outstanding value to boot. A clean fit for the roster.
Kool-Aid McKinstry in slot 34 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A premium they did not need to pay, Patrick Paul a notch or two before his time. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Xavier Legette at the 53rd pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Circle this one: Tyler Guyton at pick No. 66 is a fall that decides a draft. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They robbed the room for Brian Thomas Jr. here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
The board had cheaper options than MarShawn Lloyd at the Round 4 slot, and it noticed. It fills a real need, too.
Cedric Gray at pick No. 121 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It adds depth where they could use a little.
A real head-scratcher, Erick All in the 139th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Ty'Ron Hopper at Round 5, Pick 22 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Julian Pearl this early at the 180th overall pick. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Cornelius Johnson at No. 223 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.