A-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders fleeced the room on the phones and earned a A-.
by AceofClubs34 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 6 steals
· 5 reaches
There was a run on nobody at that position, and the Commanders started one anyway for Andrew Raym, 63 picks ahead of schedule. Add it all up and it grades out a clean A-.
The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. The Barron pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with interior defensive lineman still on the board.
That Jackson pick is the receipt they will wave around later. They punted on interior defensive lineman, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
Few war rooms will sleep better than this one tonight.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 21 they get a difference-maker at receiver, and a steal at that. The biggest hole, addressed.
In the Round 1 slot they get a blindside protector. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Value with a capital V on Amarius Mims in the 35th pick, a genuine coup. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They paid up for Ja'Tavion Sanders at No. 36 when waiting would have done the job. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in Round 2, Pick 8 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
No drama and no debate, Edgerrin Cooper went about where he belonged in the 56th overall pick. It adds depth where they could use a little.
By-the-book stuff, Javon Bullard at the 66th pick squarely in line with his ranking. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Mohamed Kamara in slot 99, miles early. It fills a real need, too.
No edge and no loss on Donovan Edwards in pick 100; it is a wash and a sensible one. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A curious use of the Round 4 slot. Interior defensive lineman needed the pick; a safety in Jahdae Barron did not.
Khyree Jackson in the 140th overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Justin Eboigbe at pick No. 141 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Ainias Smith at Round 5, Pick 22 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Joe Milton III in No. 166. A need, and now a little less of one.
LaDarius Henderson at pick No. 181 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Value said wait; Rondell Bothroyd in No. 223 says they were not listening. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Dwight McGlothern at the 234th overall pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Andrew Raym in Round 7, Pick 24 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.