B+
Washington Commanders
The Commanders let Rakestraw Jr. fall and pounced. Final grade: B+.
by WashingtonCrunch ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 4 steals
· 0 reaches
Give the war room a raise for the dealing alone. The Commanders came out ahead on every exchange that mattered, and it was not close. They moved the roster forward and banked a B+ for it.
The Rakestraw Jr. value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. That tight end hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. On the needs board they went 5 of 8, with wide receiver the one that mattered most.
Good work on the whole, with tight end the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 9 they get a plug-and-play piece up front at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
A tidy little value on Graham Barton in the 36th overall pick, a step better than break-even. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Chris Braswell at Round 2, Pick 8 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the edge rusher. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
The board fumbled Ennis Rakestraw Jr. all the way to slot 67, and they scooped it up. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Roman Wilson at No. 100. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They did well to land Will Shipley in the 102nd pick, just ahead of his grade. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They read the board right and Javon Foster was the payoff at Round 5, Pick 5. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Justin Eboigbe at the 181st pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Omar Speights in No. 223. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.