Adam Peters only had five picks at his disposal heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. Almost everyone expected the general manager to move back at some stage to bolster his assets. He opted to stand pat and go with quality over quantity instead.
The Washington Commanders put themselves in a fantastic position beforehand. Peters made some bombshell trades, signed veteran free agents ready to win now, and retained almost all of their major contributors from the previous campaign. This provided Peters with a sense of freedom to stick or switch as he saw fit.
Offers came along. Peters resisted, taking prospects high on his draft board who represented better value than accumulating additional wealth. And it was once again another outstanding haul from the front-office leader.
The Commanders missed out on filling one critical need, but it's how the board fell. That was the price Peters was willing to pay to find Pro Bowl-caliber performers in the trade market. Now, attention turns to preparing for the upcoming campaign as Washington looks to go one better next time around.
That's for the future. For now, we delved deeper and graded every Commanders pick from another eventful 2025 NFL Draft.
Grading every Commanders pick from the 2025 NFL Draft
Commanders drafted Josh Conerly Jr.
- Offensive Tackle | Oregon Ducks
- Round No. 1 | Pick No. 29
The Washington Commanders fanbase got another window into Adam Peters' philosophy with the No. 29 pick. There wasn't a great need for an offensive tackle early in the process after trading for Laremy Tunsil. That didn't stop the general manager from taking Josh Conerly Jr.
Peters had locked in on Conerly from a long way out. He revealed they had a nervous wait of about 20 picks before getting their guy. Kliff Kingsbury's pre-draft note to the front-office leader telling him to draft the former Oregon standout seemed to be a consensus in the building.
The Commanders have made a concerted effort to surround quarterback Jayden Daniels with the supporting cast needed to excel further. Tunsil and Conerly could be a bookend tackle tandem, although there will be an obvious adjustment period where the rookie is concerned.
It was a safe pick. It wasn't a sexy one, and some fans were clamoring for another edge rusher with the options available, but Peters is always thinking two steps ahead. And this was a selection for the present and the future.
- Draft grade: B+
There is some technical refinement needed from Conerly to go with his exceptional footwork. Once this gets polished, it's all systems go.