B-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders left with their quarterback, and a B- to match.
by Alright ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 1 reaches
Start where it matters. The Commanders took Drake Maye to run the offense for the next decade, and every other decision this weekend bends around that one. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B-.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. That Gray pick is the receipt they will wave around later. The tight end spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the tight end spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
Drake Maye at pick 11 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A need, and now a little less of one.
They paid sticker price for Graham Barton in Round 1, Pick 23, and that is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
No edge and no loss on Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in the 36th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Darius Robinson in No. 40 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The roster fit checks out.
Xavier Worthy in the Round 3 slot is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A premium they did not need to pay, Dominick Puni a notch or two before his time. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A market-rate cornerback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Cam Hart. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They will replay Cedric Gray at pick No. 139 for years; that is how good the value is. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Mason McCormick in pick No. 152 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They robbed the room for Joe Milton III here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.