2025 NFL Draft Grades: Washington Commanders

Best Pick: I like second-round corner Trey Amos. He gives a player who can allow them to move Mike Sainristil back inside to nickel. Amos has talent and ability to lock up in man coverage.

Worst Pick: It's not any one pick, but it's trading away picks to land veterans like Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel. That's good for the short term -- and I like the trade for Tunsil more than Samuel -- but it can come back to haunt you later on.

The Skinny: They landed a young offensive tackle with a lot of upside in the first in Josh Conerly He will compete right away to start. With a young quarterback, you can never have enough good linemen. Getting Amos in the second was a nice pick. They didn't have a lot of picks because of trades for veterans, but did a solid job with what they had.

Top needs entering the draft: Edge rusher, cornerback and running back

I gave this team an A- for its 2024 draft haul, and here's a snippet of what I wrote about its class: "If [Jayden] Daniels is a star, this could set the foundation for the Commanders returning to the playoffs -- in a couple of years."Not bad! It took Daniels and Washington only one season to get to the playoffs, though, which ended in the NFC title game. The Commanders were ahead of schedule. Now? The clock is ticking. They have a limited window to put a star-laden team around Daniels before they have to give him a massive contract extension. They need to take advantage of him being on a rookie deal.

You could see that urgency this offseason in trades for wideout Deebo Samuel Sr. and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil. Those veterans will make the Commanders better immediately. And with only five total picks, they really had to get a rookie starter in Round 1.

Instead, they might have gotten rookie starters with both of their top picks. I liked the selection of Josh Conerly Jr. at No. 29 -- he played left tackle at Oregon, but I see his immediate future at guard or right tackle. He has the traits to play on the left side, though Tunsil will have that spot locked down for a few years. I thought Washington might go with a corner there, but GM Adam Peters got Trey Amos with his lone Day 2 pick, nearly 20 spots lower than where he was in my rankings (No. 43). Amos will fill a big hole for this defense.

Jaylin Lane is an intriguing Day 3 wideout. At 5-foot-10, he looks like a running back -- and he took some snaps from the backfield in college. If Kliff Kingsbury can figure out how to get the ball in his hands, he has some juice after the catch. He's also the best punt returner in this class.

I liked what Peters did with his first three selections, but this is not quite an A because it's a small class and because he didn't address the hole at edge. Still, this is a team that should again challenge for the NFC East crown.

The Commanders hit one right down the fairway with this draft, adding value picks early on when drafting toward the end of each round. I liked the selection of Oregon tackle Josh Conerly, who should bookend Laramy Tunsil at right tackle early in his career before moving over to the blindside down the line. That's a nice boost for Jayden Daniels right out the gate. Ole Miss cornerback Trey Amos was one of my favorites in this pre-draft process—coming in at 36 on my board—so getting him at no. 61 was a steal. He's a long, fluid-moving cover man with good ball skills, bringing the potential to start early on. Virginia Tech receiver Jaylin Lane looks like a fun new target for Daniels too, offering blazing, big-play speed out of the slot. And keep an eye on Arizona running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, another speedster with explosive play potential at the running back spot. He missed all but one game this past season because of eligibility issues, but could emerge in Washington as a change-of-pace complement to Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler.

A quarter of the prospects drafted in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft play along the offensive line, and the Commanders got arguably the most athletic of the bunch in Josh Conerly The No. 29 overall pick starred at left tackle for Oregon, but is likely to move to right tackle for the Commanders, providing an athletic upgrade over free-agent addition Andrew Wylie and the mobility necessary to assist the mesmerizing playmaker that is second-year star quarterback Jayden Daniels. Though wideout wasn't necessarily a position of concern for the Commanders, I really liked the addition of speedster Jaylin Lane in the fourth round. He'll help in the vertical game and as a returner.

Given where he was selected, my favorite pick for the Commanders was cornerback Trey Amos (No. 61 overall), who's among the better press corners in this class. With only five draft picks, GM Adam Peters didn't have as many opportunities as most, but few did more with less.

Here's why: Washington didn't have much draft capital, but it found two potential long-term starters with its first two picks in offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. and cornerback Trey Amos. Both have high upside at positions of need, and they created some necessary depth that will help them sustain their success from a season ago.

Most interesting pick: Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon

The Commanders decided that they needed to revamp their offensive tackles this offseason and did just that with the trade for Laremy Tunsil and drafting Conerly. It's a good plan for a team with a young quarterback who takes a lot of hits, and it should provide a boost in the run game. Conerly could eventually be Washington's long-term left tackle as well.

It was a lighter class in part because veteran CB Marshon Lattimore came at the price of a third- and fourth-rounder at last year's trade deadline, a transaction that has yet to bear sufficient fruit. Still, GM Adam Peters did a nice job while picking OT Josh Conerly Jr. in the first round and CB Trey Amos in the second. Fourth-round WR Jaylin Lane could capably take over for departed Dyami Brown as the deep threat.

The Commanders addressed a few glaring needs with their first two picks. Conerly was the fourth offensive tackle selected, but he was considered by most draft experts to be a first-round talent. Suddenly, Washington has depth and talent in the trenches after making it work last season with quarterback Jayden Daniels often playing away from the pocket. Things didn't exactly work out with Marshon Lattimore after the midseason trade, but he'll now have more help with the arrival of Amos, who had a whopping 16 passes defensed last year.

The Commanders finished replenishing their offensive tackles by drafting Josh Connerly. They followed that up by taking Ole Miss cornerback Trey Amos late in the second round. It was a top-heavy draft by Washington, but those two picks will be very impactful.