A-
Washington Commanders
Larceny in the 228th overall pick lands the Commanders a A-, Pearsall and all.
by cobracommadre ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 10 steals
· 2 reaches
Give the war room a raise for the dealing alone. The Commanders came out ahead on every exchange that mattered, and it was not close.
Landing Pearsall that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. If Bartholomew pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped quarterback, which is a strange place to end up. The Commanders paired the rookies with proven help, Laremy Tunsil leading the way.
In the end it comes back to Dallas Turner, and a haul good enough to build on right away.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a quarterback's worst nightmare. A clean fit for the roster.
They jumped the gun on Troy Fautanu, taking him earlier than his grade liked. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Johnny Wilson at pick 37 is the proof. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A straight-up fair deal on Cooper Beebe at pick No. 56, value and slot in agreement. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Sedrick Van Pran in No. 69 is fair value, right on his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Christian Haynes in slot 100. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Nice patience on Will Shipley, who had no business lasting to Round 4, Pick 13. The roster fit checks out.
A tidy bit of business in slot 139, where Jaden Hicks graded well above the range. A minor itch, scratched.
Jaheim Bell slipping to the Round 5 slot is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Payton Wilson. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Gerald Mincey in pick No. 161 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Zy Alexander is a better player than the 180th overall pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A slide stopped in the 185th pick, with Braden Fiske worth more than the price. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Steve Linton slid further than he should have, and pick 223 is lovely value for the edge rusher. It fills a real need, too.
Willie Roberts at pick No. 224 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Ricky Pearsall in the 228th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Gavin Bartholomew. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.