A-
Washington Commanders
Best value of the weekend goes to the Commanders for Smith-Wade: A-.
by rcrump ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 4 steals
· 0 reaches
When a board-topper like Chau Smith-Wade slides to No. 181, you do not overthink it, and the Commanders did not.
The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer. The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own. Wide receiver is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
A strong weekend's work, and a rare one to find this little fault with.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get an anchor for the offensive line. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Xavier Legette at pick No. 36 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the wide receiver. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They read the board right and Troy Fautanu was the payoff at the 40th pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Trey Benson at Round 3, Pick 3 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They paid sticker price for Michael Pratt in slot 102, and that is fine. A need, and now a little less of one.
A market-rate safety, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Beau Brade. A minor itch, scratched.
Dallin Holker at the 141st overall pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They will replay Chau Smith-Wade at pick 181 for years; that is how good the value is. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Darius Muasau slipping to pick No. 226 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Demani Richardson is a better player than the 252nd overall pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.