B-
Washington Commanders
A passer of the future in Maye, and a B-, for the Commanders.
by Buck ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 0 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Commanders spent their marquee pick on Drake Maye, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback.
They will answer for taking TE-EDGE early while wide receiver, tight end and other spots went begging. Muhammad falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. The wide receiver hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 2 they get the face of the franchise at fair value.
A tidy little value on JT Tuimoloau in slot 36, a step better than break-even. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Tyler Guyton. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in Round 3, Pick 3 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Zak Zinter at pick 100 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Cade Stover at TE-EDGE with wide receiver, tight end and other spots open.
Tommy Eichenberg in the Round 5 slot is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
They read the board right and Chau Smith-Wade was the payoff at pick No. 181. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Taking Jabbar Muhammad in pick No. 223 is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.