Trading for marquee veterans Deebo Samuel Sr. and Laremy Tunsil solved two major problems for the Washington Commanders. Namely, the need for an accomplished left tackle to protect Jayden Daniels' blindside, while also giving the gifted young signal-caller another blue-chip wide receiver next to Terry McLaurin.
Those deals will keep the Commanders competitive in the NFC, but they haven't solved every issue. There's still the not-so small matter of adding talent at edge-rusher, running back and cornerback.
Fortunately, general manager Adam Peters will enter his second draft in charge armed with three picks in the first 128 selections. Granted, the last of those choices — a fourth-rounder swiped from the Houston Texans as part of the deal for Tunsil — is a stretch to be called an early pick, but needs must.
Making maximum use of his top three selections would put an exclamation point on a highly aggressive and equally successful offseason for Peters and the Commanders. It can happen if the general manager assigns his premium draft capital to some of the following prospects at three key positions.
Positions the Commanders must address early in the 2025 NFL Draft
Land a game-wrecking edge-rusher
Perhaps Adam Peters can solve this problem with another trade. Maybe even for a proven All-Pro quarterback hunter like Trey Hendrickson, preferably if he forces the issue with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Even if Hendrickson were to arrive at Northwest Stadium, the Commanders would still have room for another prolific pass-rusher for two clear reasons. You can never have too many dynamic athletes whose primary responsibility is to hound and harm those who play football's most important position.
Another reason concerns how the Commanders got after quarterbacks in 2024. It's not as if Washington's defense was ineffective in this area, logging a respectable 43 sacks, but how those were collected hinted at deeper trouble.
The Commanders blitzed 31.5 percent of the time last season. It was the fifth-highest blitz percentage in the league.
A defense blitzes at this high a rate because it lacks the forces up front to consistently wreck pass protection. Putting more of those at the disposal of head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. should be Peters' priority during the draft.
He won't be lacking for options. Not when Tennessee's James Pearce Jr. and Texas A&M duo Shemar Stewart and Nic Scourton could be available when the Commanders make their first pick at No. 29 overall.
Coming out of this draft with a focal point for a new-look pass rush, wherever they take one, would be a 10 out of 10 move for the Commanders. Drafting help further back from the front seven would too.