A-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders answered their biggest question with Maye. Grade: A-.
by Buck ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Commanders spent their marquee pick on Drake Maye, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. It holds up to a second look, which is why it earns the A-.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. They will need Limmer to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through wide receiver. Hadden falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch.
Bottom line, with Drake Maye leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 7 they get the face of the franchise. A real need, handled.
Nice patience on Troy Fautanu, who had no business lasting to Round 2, Pick 4. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Good price on Ja'Tavion Sanders in pick No. 40, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A straight-up fair deal on Austin Booker at slot 67, value and slot in agreement. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They paid up for Sataoa Laumea at the 101st pick when waiting would have done the job. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Beaux Limmer in the 103rd overall pick, miles early. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Marist Liufau in pick 138 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A minor itch, scratched.
Value with a capital V on Kamal Hadden in the Round 6 slot, a genuine coup. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They let JD Bertrand come to them and pounced at the 220th overall pick. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.