Adam Peters only had five picks entering the 2025 NFL Draft. Though he reportedly had offers to trade down and gain a few extra selections, he resisted the urge.
That suggests Peters was very happy with the prospects who were available when the Commanders were on the clock. Four of those picks seem to make sense. One of them, not so much.
With his sixth-round pick — No. 205 overall — Peters went with UCLA linebacker Kain Medrano. There’s nothing wrong with the player. On many draft boards, he was rated higher, with a top-end projection putting him in Round 4.
The bewildering aspect of Peters’ decision is that he left some much-needed edge-rushing talent on the table.
Four picks after the Medrano selection, Howie Roseman of the Philadelphia Eagles pounced on one of the best remaining edge rushers in Virginia Tech’s Antwaun Powell-Ryland. That decision could come back to haunt the Commanders.
Commanders overlooked Antwaun Powell-Ryland despite significant pre-draft interest
Peters passed on a promising edge rusher on Day 2 as well. Late in the second round, Louisville’s Ashton Gillotte was waiting for a call. He had been one of the Commanders’ top 30 visits, so there was obvious interest. Nonetheless, the general manager opted for cornerback Trey Amos instead.
The Kansas City Chiefs snapped up Gillotte a few picks later. They see him as an ideal bookend for George Karlaftis.
The Amos pick makes a lot of sense. Washington needs bigger perimeter corners, and he is a high-ceiling prospect. The decision between Medrano and Powell-Ryland is much more of a head-scratcher.
The Commanders reportedly had multiple pre-draft meetings with Powell-Ryland. It is not hard to see why.
Though he is not a prototypical edge presence, he was insanely productive at Virginia Tech over his final two seasons. Powell-Ryland registered 25.5 sacks over those two years, which was the best in the FBS. In 2024 alone, the Hampton Roads native recorded 16 sacks, three fumble recoveries, and three forced fumbles, along with 19 tackles for loss. Those numbers came in just 12 games.
It’s equally easy to see why Roseman, who values quality and depth across his defensive front more than anything, would want that type of player. The Eagles lost their best edge rusher to free agency when Josh Sweat left. They also lost emerging interior star Milton Williams. Powell-Ryland may not be as good as either, but he helps replenish the front seven.
The Hokies' graduate is a little too short and a few pounds too light. His arms aren’t the ideal length. There are reasonable concerns about his every-down ability. But none of his numbers are far out of line with the standard, and his play against the run in college was rather good.
Powell-Ryland needs to grow and mature. There is no reason to believe he won’t do that in Philadelphia. As a sub-package pass rusher, he is ready to make an impact from Day 1.
It's almost inconceivable that Peters has done so little to address his pass rush this offseason. Even his first undrafted free agent signings seem to suggest he is not concerned about the apparent roster hole. The one defensive lineman he signed in the wake of the draft plays on the interior and is not much of a pass-rush threat.
There is still time for that to change, but asking an undrafted free agent to make a considerable impact is a huge stretch.
Perhaps Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. are content with what they have. Perhaps they expect big things from free agent Jacob Martin or increased pressure from developing second-year player Javontae Jean-Baptiste. Who knows at this point?
The man Peters chose instead of Powell-Ryland, Medrano, played linebacker in college but is a virtual physical clone of Jeremy Chinn. The Commanders will have several athletic hybrid players, like the ex-Bruin and Tyler Owens, who may provide blitz pressure.
There is more than one way to generate a pass rush. We’ll see soon enough if the Commanders will be able to do it.
We already know how the Eagles address this issue. They draft as many big, fast front-seven players as they can and turn them loose. Ryland-Powell is just the latest in a string of such players that helped Philadelphia to the Super Bowl last year.