A-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders turned the phones into found money: A-.
by mwilliams ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 3 steals
· 4 reaches
The real work happened on the phones. The Commanders fleeced their trade partners, turning their picks into a noticeably bigger pile than they started with.
The Beebe pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. They banked enough surplus on Carson to cover a lot of smaller sins. The Commanders clearly valued win-now help, adding bodies who have done it before.
The hoard sets up next April more than it helps this September.
Bottom line, with Amarius Mims leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 20 they get protection for the quarterback. The biggest hole, addressed.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Troy Fautanu in pick 34. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Chris Braswell in slot 36 is fair value, right on his grade. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A clean, defensible pick in the 40th overall pick with a little surplus value in Ja'Tavion Sanders. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A straight-up fair deal on T'Vondre Sweat at Round 2, Pick 11, value and slot in agreement. A need, and now a little less of one.
Value said wait; Cooper Beebe in pick No. 49 says they were not listening. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Kamren Kinchens at the 67th pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A minor itch, scratched.
No edge and no loss on Xavier Legette in the Round 3 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Cade Stover at pick No. 76 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A pick in search of a role on this roster.
They read the board right and Caelen Carson was the payoff at No. 101. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They reached a country mile for Mohamed Kamara at the Round 4 slot, and the board is aghast. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Nothing to complain about; Jalen McMillan went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
No drama and no debate, Braelon Allen went about where he belonged in the 106th overall pick. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Tommy Eichenberg at pick 138 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A wild overpay on Jared Wiley in Round 6, Pick 6, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A market-rate cornerback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Johnny Dixon. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Joe Milton III in No. 196 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Kimani Vidal at Round 6, Pick 45 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.