D-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders finally solved quarterback, and it carried them to a D-.
by Or nah ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 2 steals
· 5 reaches
Call it a hunch or call it a gamble, but the Commanders spent the 222nd overall pick on Matthew Jones, a name most had 44 spots down the list. The math is unkind, and the D- follows.
They have staked the next five years on Drake Maye, which is the only story that really matters here. The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close.
The running back hole is the one line item this class does not answer. That Suamataia pick is the receipt they will wave around later.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and running back is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
They paid sticker price for Drake Maye in the 4th pick, and that is fine. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Brock Bowers at the 8th overall pick is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the tight end. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They took Amarius Mims at par in No. 27, which is nothing to complain about. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Jordan Morgan at pick 35 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A straight-up fair deal on Darius Robinson at the Round 2 slot, value and slot in agreement. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They did well to land Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in Round 2, Pick 8, just ahead of his grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in pick 67 is fair value, right on his grade. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Kingsley Suamataia slipping to the 78th pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board had cheaper options than Mekhi Wingo at slot 100, and it noticed. The roster fit checks out.
The board had Gabriel Murphy higher than the Round 4 slot, and the edge rusher fell to them anyway. A need, and now a little less of one.
Johnny Wilson at No. 109 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Kitan Oladapo at pick No. 139 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Xavier Thomas in Round 5, Pick 16 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Matthew Jones. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.