If confidence were a draft strategy, the Commanders would have aced it. Tommy Eichenberg at pick 104 is 42 spots clear of where he belonged.
Jayden Daniels gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits. The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close.
With interior defensive lineman unsolved, spending premium capital on OLB-EDGE is the choice that costs them. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through interior defensive lineman.
The Rice value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. They are betting the present roster is worth a lighter draft next spring.
Bottom line, it will take a lot of luck to make this look better later.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.5
· Pick 5
· Brock Bowers
· TE
· rank 5
In slot 5 they get a matchup weapon at tight end. Exactly the need they had to hit.
R1.6
· Pick 6
· Jayden Daniels
· QB
· rank 6
In the 6th pick they get the arm they will build around at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
R1.27
· Pick 27
· Brian Thomas Jr.
· WR
· rank 22
In the 27th overall pick they get a No. 1 receiver. The biggest hole, addressed.
R2.3
· Pick 35
· Tyler Guyton
· OT
· rank 31
They did well to land Tyler Guyton in pick 35, just ahead of his grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R2.4
· Pick 36
· Jordan Morgan
· OT
· rank 34
A straight-up fair deal on Jordan Morgan at No. 36, value and slot in agreement. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R2.8
· Pick 40
· Payton Wilson
· LB
· rank 39
By-the-book stuff, Payton Wilson at Round 2, Pick 8 squarely in line with his ranking. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
R3.3
· Pick 67
· Kamari Lassiter
· CB
· rank 60
Nothing to complain about; Kamari Lassiter went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R3.5
· Pick 69
· Kiran Amegadjie
· OT
· rank 63
Kiran Amegadjie at the 69th pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R3.14
· Pick 78
· Brandon Dorlus
· DE-EDGE
· rank 82
Brandon Dorlus in pick No. 78 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R3.37
· Pick 100
· Javon Solomon
· OLB-EDGE
· rank 111
A surprising call. With interior defensive lineman still to address, they spent the 100th overall pick on Javon Solomon, an OLB-EDGE they were not short of.
R4.4
· Pick 104
· Tommy Eichenberg
· LB
· rank 146
They bypassed pressing needs at interior defensive lineman to take Tommy Eichenberg, a linebacker that was not the priority.
R4.5
· Pick 105
· Christian Mahogany
· OG
· rank 99
Christian Mahogany at pick 105 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R5.3
· Pick 139
· Brenden Rice
· WR
· rank 121
Brenden Rice in No. 139 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R5.16
· Pick 152
· Josh Newton
· CB
· rank 153
Josh Newton at the Round 5 slot is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R5.30
· Pick 166
· Dylan Laube
· RB
· rank 171
No edge and no loss on Dylan Laube in Round 5, Pick 30; it is a wash and a sensible one. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R7.2
· Pick 222
· Jaylan Ford
· LB
· rank 215
A clean, defensible pick in the 222nd overall pick with a little surplus value in Jaylan Ford. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
