You’d be hard to find too many people who thought the Washington Commanders had a bad 2024 NFL draft. Washington had nine selections, beginning at No. 2 overall when it selected LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.
The Commanders had an unprecedented five selections on Day, which included three second-round picks and two third-round picks. Of its nine selections, all came at different positions.
We graded each Washington pick, and it compared favorably to the consensus.
On Sunday, longtime NFL writer Pete Prisco of CBS Sports weighed in on the Commanders’ draft class. He’s a big fan. In fact, the A+ that Prisco gave Washington was the only one he handed out for the 2024 draft.
In my book, there were five teams that had really good drafts, the best of them all being the Washington Commanders, who received my only A+ grade. First-year general manager Adam Peters, who came over from San Francisco, nailed his first draft, starting with quarterback Jayden Daniels, who they took second overall. He will be a star. Peters kept going after that, loading up on good, talented players, many of whom I liked throughout the process. Yes, my film evaluation plays into the grades.
Here is Prisco’s analysis on the picks:
Best Pick: It was their first one, quarterback Jayden Daniels. I think he will be the best quarterback from this draft. They locked up a franchise passer with pick No. 2. He will be dynamic.
Worst Pick: I didn’t love the pick of third-round receiver Luke McCaffrey, although he has talent and is improving. I think there were better options on the board — like Troy Franklin — when the pick was made.
The Skinny: In his first year running the draft, general manager Adam Peters killed it. It started by taking Daniels with the second overall pick, but continued throughout the process. This is a team moving in the right direction. I liked all their second-round picks in defensive tackle Johnny Newton, corner Mike Sainristil and tight end Ben Sinnott. They drafted a lot of talented football players.
Prisco is correct; the Commanders are headed in the right direction. While no one can know for certain if these players will help reverse Washington’s fortunes, there are reasons to be optimistic, and that begins with Peters and Daniels.