B+
Washington Commanders
The Commanders won the night they stopped Travis from sliding. Grade: B+.
by Aubie Vince ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 21 picks
· 5 steals
· 4 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how Jordan Travis got past him. The Commanders do not have to explain a thing at pick No. 181. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B+.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. The Powell-Ryland reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. With interior defensive lineman unsolved, spending premium capital on linebacker is the choice that costs them.
That interior defensive lineman hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
No edge and no loss on Joe Alt in slot 2; it is a wash and a sensible one. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Keon Coleman at pick 36 is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A market-rate tight end, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Ja'Tavion Sanders. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They took Kiran Amegadjie at par in pick No. 48, which is nothing to complain about. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid up for Kingsley Suamataia at Round 2, Pick 17 when waiting would have done the job. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A reach for Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in the 53rd pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They barely believed it either: Kalen King still on the board at the 67th overall pick. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They paid sticker price for Jonathon Brooks in No. 70, and that is fine. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Good price on Michael Pratt in the 83rd overall pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A need, and now a little less of one.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose linebacker. Marist Liufau in No. 88 leaves interior defensive lineman for later.
A quiet steal in pick 96: Christian Mahogany for less than the market said. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They read the board right and Brenden Rice was the payoff at the Round 3 slot. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A conviction pick on Gabriel Murphy at Round 4, Pick 2 that the board grades a round light. It fills a real need, too.
Blake Fisher in the 109th pick is fair value, right on his grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Beau Brade in slot 110 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A straight-up fair deal on Max Melton at pick No. 115, value and slot in agreement. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Donovan Jackson at the 119th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Jaylin Simpson at pick 141 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They will replay Jordan Travis at the 181st overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. The roster fit checks out.
Antwaun Powell-Ryland in slot 223 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
No drama and no debate, Blake Watson went about where he belonged in No. 234. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.