D+
Washington Commanders
The Commanders bet the future on Daniels. The board says D+.
by Make it happen ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 1 steals
· 3 reaches
The Commanders did not so much draft Matthew Jones as overpay for him, 49 picks clear of his grade. It sets an uneasy tone for the weekend. The board pushed back all weekend, and the D+ is the result.
The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. Whatever Jayden Daniels becomes, the front office has tied its fortunes to the answer.
The running back hole is the one line item this class does not answer. Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers.
The Tampa pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch.
In short, the board sent warnings, and they will be hoping it was wrong.
Pick-by-Pick
Joe Alt at slot 4 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A straight-up fair deal on Jayden Daniels at the 8th pick, value and slot in agreement. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Adonai Mitchell at pick No. 34 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A market-rate safety, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Tyler Nubin. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Darius Robinson in the Round 2 slot is fair value, right on his grade. It fills a real need, too.
T.J. Tampa at pick 66 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A tidy little value on Kingsley Suamataia in the 67th overall pick, a step better than break-even. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Nothing to complain about; Cade Stover went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Brenden Rice in Round 3, Pick 37 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Tommy Eichenberg in pick 139 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Justin Eboigbe at slot 152 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Joe Milton III in No. 183 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Drake Nugent well ahead of where he belonged. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A big swing on Matthew Jones at pick No. 222, well ahead of any board in the building. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.