Commanders 7-round 2024 NFL mock draft: Ulterior motive edition

Commanders draft Zak Zinter

• Offensive Line | Michigan Wolverines
• Round No. 5 | No. 152 overall

I probably took Zak Zinter in more mock drafts than any other player. Had he not suffered a serious leg injury late in the 2023 season, he'd have gone several rounds earlier. His recovery appears to be right on schedule and any team that can afford to stash him for a year will be getting an outstanding interior lineman.

Zinter is big, strong, and technically sound. He is not as mobile as some other guards, and that leg will be a concern until he shows how well he can move. But with him in the fold, along with earlier draft picks Joe Alt and Kingsley Suamataia, the Washington Commanders have a completely rebuilt offensive line which should pay dividends into the next decade.

Commanders draft Jarvis Brownlee Jr.

• Cornerback | Louisville Cardinals
• Round No. 5 | No. 157 overall

See Chau Smith-Wade.

Jarvis Brownlee Jr. is a similar player. He is not physically imposing, but he has decent size and speed. More than anything, he is a smart, tough prospect who competes.

With both cornerbacks taken, I am reversing the recent tendency to go with long, speedy players, and instead finding smaller guys who have shown a great knack for making plays in coverage, and the willingness to step into running lanes. If you have read me before, you may know that Danny Johnson is among my favorite recent Commanders. Both Smith-Wade and Brownlee remind me of younger, faster versions.

In addition to these 10 new players, I come out of the draft with New England's first-round pick in 2025. With both the Commanders and the Patriots likely to be using rookie quarterbacks in 2024, it seems a good bet that at least one of those picks - and quite possibly both - will be highly valued.

This gives Adam Peters great flexibility in fixing any issues not solved by this year’s moves.