B
Washington Commanders
McCarthy is the Commanders' new face under center. Grade: B.
by Brp3149 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 6 reaches
Start where it matters. The Commanders took J.J. McCarthy to run the offense for the next decade, and every other decision this weekend bends around that one. Call it a sensible B, earned the boring way.
However the rest shakes out, Shipley at that price is a win they earned. Reaching for McCarthy left real value on the table behind him.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. They punted on cornerback, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the cornerback spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 2 they get their guy under center for the next decade, a steep price for the projection. A clean fit for the roster.
Marvin Harrison Jr. at the 36th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They talked themselves into Jeremiah Trotter Jr. at the Round 2 slot, and the board did not agree. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A wild overpay on Sataoa Laumea in No. 100, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jaheim Bell in pick 102, miles early. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They paid a round early for Javion Cohen in the 141st overall pick, more than the board wanted. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A top-tier running back at a bargain, Will Shipley in pick No. 181, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Chad Lindberg in slot 223 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.