The trade table was where it all came apart. The Commanders shipped out far more than they hauled back, and no amount of spin dresses up the bill. Too much went sideways, and the D- is the honest tally.
They are betting Gray proves the room right and everyone else wrong. Everything downstream of Caleb Williams depends on Caleb Williams, and the building knows it. The Commanders indulged a want in Gray while a need in edge rusher, running back and other spots stayed open.
They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it. They banked enough surplus on Jones to cover a lot of smaller sins.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and edge rusher is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.2
· Pick 2
· Marvin Harrison Jr.
· WR
· rank 1
In the 2nd overall pick they get a go-to option on the outside. The biggest hole, addressed.
R1.6
· Pick 6
· Caleb Williams
· QB
· rank 2
Caleb Williams at the 6th pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R2.4
· Pick 36
· Kool-Aid McKinstry
· CB
· rank 25
Kool-Aid McKinstry slipping to pick 36 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R2.8
· Pick 40
· Payton Wilson
· LB
· rank 43
Payton Wilson in slot 40 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
R3.3
· Pick 67
· Kiran Amegadjie
· OT
· rank 65
Kiran Amegadjie at Round 3, Pick 3 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R4.1
· Pick 101
· Cedric Gray
· LB
· rank 126
A want over a need in the Round 4 slot: Cedric Gray adds a linebacker while edge rusher, running back and other spots keeps waiting.
R4.3
· Pick 103
· Christian Mahogany
· OG
· rank 99
A reasonable price with a little left over, Christian Mahogany in No. 103. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R5.2
· Pick 138
· Tommy Eichenberg
· LB
· rank 144
Tommy Eichenberg in pick No. 138 is fair value, right on his grade. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
R6.6
· Pick 181
· Jarrian Jones
· CB
· rank 149
Jarrian Jones in pick 181 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R6.45
· Pick 220
· Erick All
· TE
· rank 210
Erick All is a better player than the Round 6 slot suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
