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. Good, not great, and the B+ says as much.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
Worthy has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. If one pick saves this weekend, it is Williams.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.4
· Pick 4
· Drake Maye
· QB
· rank 5
In the 4th pick they get the arm they will build around. A real need, handled.
R1.27
· Pick 27
· Troy Fautanu
· OT
· rank 26
In pick 27 they get protection for the quarterback at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
R2.3
· Pick 35
· Xavier Worthy
· WR
· rank 56
Xavier Worthy at slot 35 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R2.4
· Pick 36
· Adonai Mitchell
· WR
· rank 33
Fair-plus on Adonai Mitchell, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R2.8
· Pick 40
· Edgerrin Cooper
· LB
· rank 42
Edgerrin Cooper in pick No. 40 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
R3.3
· Pick 67
· Blake Corum
· RB
· rank 86
They talked themselves into Blake Corum at the Round 3 slot, and the board did not agree. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R4.1
· Pick 101
· Zak Zinter
· OG
· rank 104
Zak Zinter at the 101st overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R4.3
· Pick 103
· Cam Hart
· CB
· rank 94
Cam Hart at Round 4, Pick 3 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R4.5
· Pick 105
· Tyler Davis
· DT
· rank 119
They paid a round early for Tyler Davis in slot 105, more than the board wanted. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
R5.2
· Pick 138
· James Williams
· S
· rank 120
James Williams at the Round 5 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A minor itch, scratched.
R6.6
· Pick 181
· Kamal Hadden
· CB
· rank 167
The board had Kamal Hadden higher than pick 181, and the cornerback fell to them anyway. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R6.45
· Pick 220
· Erick All
· TE
· rank 210
Erick All in Round 6, Pick 45 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R7.4
· Pick 224
· Tyrice Knight
· LB
· rank 216
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Tyrice Knight at pick No. 224 is the proof. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.