ASHBURN, Va. — So, the Washington Commanders, fresh off a 12-5 season and an NFC Championship appearance in 2024, rolled into the 2025 NFL Draft on April 24-26 in Green Bay with only five picks, which happened to be tied for the fewest in the league. General Manager Adam Peters, in his second draft, was all about talent and speed, you know what I mean? He went ahead and selected Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr., Ole Miss cornerback Trey Amos, Virginia Tech wide receiver Jaylin Lane, UCLA linebacker Kain Medrano, and Arizona running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
Now, this draft class got some love for filling key needs around quarterback Jayden Daniels, and ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. gave it a B grade. But, there were some missed opportunities at edge rusher and a kinda questionable linebacker pick that dampened the excitement a bit. With a retooled roster and a challenging schedule ahead, the Commanders are looking like they might just be ready for another playoff run. But, let’s be real, their Super Bowl dreams really hinge on shoring up that defense.
Let’s talk about how the draft went down, shall we? The Commanders kicked things off with Conerly at No. 29, nabbing a 6-foot-4, 315-pound offensive tackle out of Oregon. Dude started 28 games at left tackle for the Ducks and was a third-team All-American in 2024. Conerly only allowed one sack and six pressures in his last 12 games, with a sweet 76.9 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. Peters was all about Conerly’s youth and athleticism, and the dude’s 1.71-second 10-yard split at the combine was the fastest among linemen, showing off his explosiveness.
Now, with a stud like Laremy Tunsil holding it down at left tackle, Conerly is gonna be fighting it out at right tackle or guard with Brandon Coleman and Andrew Vorhees. His addition is meant to shore up a weak spot from 2024 when the Commanders’ O-line allowed a 6.9% sack rate and a 32.5% pressure rate. Lance Zierlein over at NFL.com thinks Conerly can handle twists and blitzes like a pro. The pick got an A from The Athletic, so that’s something.
In the second round at No. 61, Washington snagged Amos, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound cornerback from Ole Miss who was a first-team All-SEC player in 2024. This dude had 13 pass breakups and three interceptions last season. Amos is a boss at zone coverage, keeping his completion rate under 19% on deep throws, according to PFF. Peters was all praise for Amos, calling him the total package at corner. With Marshon Lattimore and Jonathan Jones already in the mix, Amos adds some depth behind Mike Sainristil. People seem to think he’s gonna be a starter, so that’s cool.
The fourth-round pick at No. 128 was Lane, a 5-foot-10, 196-pound speedster from Virginia Tech who played slot receiver. This guy ran a 4.34 40-yard dash and was a beast on punt returns, averaging 10.9 yards with two touchdowns. Lane put up over 2,500 yards and 18 touchdowns during his college career and got second-team All-C-USA honors at MTSU. Zierlein thinks he’s a versatile slot option with some serious speed. Lane joins Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin in giving Daniels some flashy targets. Plus, his return game should help beef up a weak spot from 2024 when Washington was 28th in punt return yards.
Moving on to the sixth round at No. 205, the Commanders picked up Medrano, a 6-foot-3, 222-pound linebacker out of UCLA. This dude led his team with three forced fumbles and even snagged two interceptions in 2024, earning himself some third-team All-Big Ten honors. Medrano used to be a wide receiver before switching to linebacker, and his speed and special-teams skills caught the eye of linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr., his old coach at UCLA. Zierlein thinks Medrano’s frame is more like a strong safety, and he’s likely gonna be a dime linebacker and special-teams contributor. Gonna be interesting to see how he fits in, especially with Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu already holding it down.
Last but not least, in the seventh round at No. 245, the Commanders went with Croskey-Merritt, a 5-foot-10, 206-pound running back who transferred from Arizona. This dude turned some heads at the East-West Shrine Bowl with his sick cuts. He’s gonna be a nice change-of-pace back to complement the other dudes in the backfield.
So, overall, the Commanders made some solid moves in the draft but definitely dropped the ball on picking up an edge rusher. That’s gonna hurt, especially after losing Dante Fowler Jr. to free agency. And this Medrano guy might be a bit of a risk with his missed tackles and smaller size. But hey, that’s the draft for you. Gotta take some swings and see what sticks, right? Washington’s got a pretty stacked roster with some key offseason additions, so they should be in the mix for the playoffs again this year. Let’s see if they can build on that Cinderella story from 2024 and make some noise in 2025.
