D
Washington Commanders
The Commanders left with their quarterback, and a D to match.
by DutchNugget ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 1 steals
· 4 reaches
You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The Commanders did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high.
Everything downstream of J.J. McCarthy depends on J.J. McCarthy, and the building knows it. The Liufau pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over.
The cornerback spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. The Flournoy steal is the beam this whole class leans on.
A rough weekend that leaves the roster with more questions than answers.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a go-to option on the outside. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In slot 11 they get a long-term starter on the line at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
No drama and no debate, J.J. McCarthy went about where he belonged in Round 1, Pick 23. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A market-rate tight end, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Ja'Tavion Sanders. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Zach Frazier at No. 40 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid sticker price for Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in pick 67, and that is fine. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Cade Stover at the 75th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They went early on Trey Benson in pick No. 78, and the value did not follow. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A reach for Christian Jones in the 122nd overall pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A real head-scratcher, Marist Liufau in No. 139 is miles ahead of his ranking. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Isaiah Davis at the Round 5 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Circle this one: Ryan Flournoy at pick 222 is a fall that decides a draft. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.