D+
Washington Commanders
Daniels is the plan now, and the Commanders grade out a D+.
by CB ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 2 steals
· 8 reaches
The Commanders treated their own grade as gospel and everyone else's as noise, spending pick 100 on Tommy Eichenberg a full 45 spots early.
The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. They have staked the next five years on Jayden Daniels, which is the only story that really matters here. The Commanders indulged a want in Eichenberg while a need in tight end and running back stayed open.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through tight end.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and tight end is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 5 they get their quarterback of the future at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
In pick 27 they get a weapon on the perimeter. Exactly the need they had to hit.
A quiet steal in the 35th pick: Amarius Mims for less than the market said. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
No edge and no loss on Jordan Morgan in pick No. 36; it is a wash and a sensible one. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in the 40th overall pick. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Austin Booker at slot 67 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It fills a real need, too.
A straight-up fair deal on Michael Hall Jr. at No. 78, value and slot in agreement. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A conviction pick on Brenden Rice at Round 3, Pick 19 that the board grades a round light. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Cedric Gray in the Round 3 slot is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A want over a need in pick No. 100: Tommy Eichenberg adds a linebacker while tight end and running back keeps waiting.
A big swing on Johnny Wilson at pick 104, well ahead of any board in the building. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Cam Hart is a better player than the 110th overall pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A wild overpay on Xavier Thomas in the 139th pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Mason McCormick in slot 152 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
By-the-book stuff, Kitan Oladapo at the 154th overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A real head-scratcher, Joe Milton III in the Round 5 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. The roster fit checks out.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Matthew Jones well ahead of where he belonged. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.