F
Washington Commanders
A franchise passer in Daniels headlines a F weekend for the Commanders.
by Everything ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 20 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
The tape said wait; the Commanders did not. Matthew Jones went at the 232nd overall pick, a good 34 picks before the board was ready. It bottoms out at a F.
The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. They have staked the next five years on Jayden Daniels, which is the only story that really matters here. However the rest shakes out, Newton at that price is a win they earned.
Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers.
There is no spinning it; the board won this weekend going away.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 6 they get the face of the franchise. A real need, handled.
In the Round 1 slot they get a quarterback's worst nightmare at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
In No. 23 they get a plug-and-play piece up front. The biggest hole, addressed.
In pick 27 they get a cornerstone up front. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Good price on Brian Thomas Jr. in slot 35, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Cooper DeJean is a better player than pick No. 36 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They took T'Vondre Sweat at par in pick No. 40, which is nothing to complain about. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
By-the-book stuff, Edgerrin Cooper at the 47th overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A slide stopped in No. 67, with Xavier Worthy worth more than the price. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A straight-up fair deal on Austin Booker at the Round 3 slot, value and slot in agreement. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
The board had cheaper options than Cedric Gray at the 100th pick, and it noticed. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Cole Bishop at slot 104 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A minor itch, scratched.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Zak Zinter. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No edge and no loss on Tommy Eichenberg in Round 5, Pick 3; it is a wash and a sensible one. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Josh Newton at pick No. 141 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A clean, defensible pick in slot 152 with a little surplus value in Mason McCormick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Joe Milton III. A need, and now a little less of one.
They paid sticker price for Tip Reiman in pick 183, and that is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Frank Gore Jr. in Round 7, Pick 2 is fair value, right on his grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Matthew Jones in No. 232 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.