Somebody took the Commanders to the cleaners. The deals they made bled real value, and the whole class wears it. The process wobbled, and the D+ is where it lands.
Michael Penix Jr. gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits. They will need Briningstool to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. Spending an early pick on linebacker with cornerback, edge rusher and other spots open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped cornerback, which is a strange place to end up. Landing Washington that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
Add it up and it is a weekend the front office will hope everyone forgets, cornerback very much included.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.7
· Pick 7
· Michael Penix Jr.
· QB
· rank 9
By-the-book stuff, Michael Penix Jr. at slot 7 squarely in line with his ranking. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R2.8
· Pick 40
· Graham Barton
· OT
· rank 33
Fair-plus on Graham Barton, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R3.10
· Pick 74
· Edgerrin Cooper
· LB
· rank 61
Edgerrin Cooper at Round 3, Pick 10 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
R3.37
· Pick 100
· Marist Liufau
· LB
· rank 90
A curious use of pick 100. Cornerback, edge rusher and other spots needed the pick; a linebacker in Marist Liufau did not.
R4.2
· Pick 102
· Dominick Puni
· OT
· rank 102
Dominick Puni in pick No. 102 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R5.5
· Pick 141
· Kedon Slovis
· QB
· rank 139
Kedon Slovis in the Round 5 slot is fair value, right on his grade. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R5.12
· Pick 148
· McCallan Castles
· TE
· rank 148
No drama and no debate, McCallan Castles went about where he belonged in the 148th pick. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R5.38
· Pick 174
· Malik Washington
· WR
· rank 159
The board had Malik Washington higher than No. 174, and the wide receiver fell to them anyway. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R7.10
· Pick 230
· Jake Briningstool
· TE
· rank 256
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jake Briningstool well ahead of where he belonged. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
