D
Washington Commanders
James should have been long gone. The Commanders pounced, and earned a D.
by Middeee ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 7 steals
· 1 reaches
Every swap seemed to tilt away from the Commanders, and the value they bled adds up to real damage.
James at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. Every board in the league had DeLoach lower, and that gap is the story.
The tight end spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 4 they get a No. 1 receiver at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In pick 27 they get a problem off the edge. A clean fit for the roster.
Graham Barton in the 36th overall pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Michael Penix Jr. in the Round 2 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Circle this one: T'Vondre Sweat at slot 67 is a fall that decides a draft. A need, and now a little less of one.
Junior Colson at No. 78 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They barely believed it either: DJ James still on the board at No. 104. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Matt Goncalves in Round 5, Pick 3 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Steal is underselling it; James Williams at the 152nd overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Kalen DeLoach this early at pick No. 222. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.