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Commanders 2025 Nfl Mock Draft Selecting Impact Players On Defense

Bonisiwe Shabane
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commanders 2025 nfl mock draft selecting impact players on defense

The Washington Commanders aren’t playing around when it comes to building a winner around 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels. After a tough loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, the Commanders have committed their efforts on getting better on both sides of the ball. Through trade and free agency, the Commanders have already brought in some notable additions like wide receiver Deebo Samuel acquired in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers and left tackle Laremy Tunsil acquired... Those two moves took care of a couple of the team’s top needs ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, which allows them to shift their attention to other areas which will help strengthen the... That focus should primarily be on defense where the Commanders look to get faster off the edge and in the secondary. 2024 NFL season record: 12-5 2n 2nd in the NFC East

If you buy something from a link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. The NFL Draft is finally here, and we’ve got our final roundup of mock drafts to check out. The defense leads the way again with multiple players and positions getting projected for the Washington Commanders. EDGE defenders continue to have the most variety and selections. Donovan Ezeiruaku goes to Washington in 17 different mock drafts.

There’s a good chance that he won’t be on the board when Washington gets on the clock at No. 29 overall, but there are other DEs that should be there. The options on offense are down to three WRs, two RBs, one OT, and a trio of guards. Emeka Egbuka is the most likely to be available of this week’s options, with Matthew Golden and Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona likely gone. There are also two interesting options at running back, A lot of fans would love it if North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton was Washington’s first pick, and that could happen tonight. Ohio State’s TreVeyon Robinson seems like he’s more likely to get picked tomorrow, and would be considered a reach if Washington took him at No.

29. There were also 10 different trade scenarios, with Washington trading down in eight of them, and trading up with the Vikings in two of them. QBs are the big targets at the end of the first round, with Jaxson Dart and Shedeur Sanders both getting drafted after teams traded up for them. A wide receiver is also the target in another Commanders trade down. There are reports today that Adam Peters is interested in trading down in the draft. We’ll find out later on tonight!

The Washington Commanders want to build on their near-Super Bowl appearance in 2024, focusing heavily on defensive reinforcements in a recent 2025 mock draft. With a solid offensive foundation, bolstered by the acquisition of Deebo Samuel, the team’s focus shifts to strengthening the defense and adding depth across the board. Let’s break down the picks and the rationale behind them in this Washington Commanders 2025 NFL Draft 7 Rounds Mock Draft. The Commanders have a promising young core and a favorable salary cap situation, thanks to Jayden Daniels‘ rookie contract. While the offense boasts strong skill position players, the defense needs significant upgrades. The team’s 2024 success was built on an overperforming offense and a defense that “did its job.” However, to take the next step, the defense needs to elevate its performance.

With a large number of aging players and expiring contracts, the Commanders have an opportunity to reshape their roster. The primary needs identified in the mock draft include: With six picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Commanders aimed to address their key needs and add depth. Here’s a breakdown of the selections: The Commanders secured an “elite” linebacker in Walker, known for his sideline-to-sideline range and versatility. He’s expected to make an immediate impact, even with veteran linebackers on the roster.

The Washington Commanders are going into the 2025 NFL draft with only five picks after a multitude of trades for impact players Deebo Samuel, Marshon Lattimore, and Laremy Tunsil. General manager Adam Peters knows how to make the most of every pick and maximize value, so I wanted to do a mock draft on how Washington could draft without any trades for additional... Washington needs to find its franchise defensive end, and James Pearce Jr. falling to the Commanders is the best-case scenario for pick 29. Pearce Jr. is an elite athlete with a twitch that will translate to the NFL on Day 1.

The Commanders need someone who can get to the quarterback, and Pearce Jr.'s 21 sacks over the last two seasons with a 23.3% pressure rate (1st in FBS in 2024) would instantly improve the... The Commanders also struggled to stop the run last season, and James recorded a 10.1% run stop rate in 2024 despite his slimmer frame at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds. The 21-year-old prospect still has more to his game that can be polished up, but he already has elite quickness to breeze past offensive tackles with his bend and hand usage. James Pearce Jr. is a game-changing play waiting to happen on the defensive side of the ball, and Washington is in dire need of that kind of player. Washington hit the jackpot on Mike Sainristil in the second round last year, and could do the same in 2025 by drafting outside corner Azareye'h Thomas with pick 61.

Thomas is a lengthy corner at 6-foot-1, 197 pounds with 32.3" arms that can redirect wide receivers in their routes. The former Seminole excels in press-man coverage where he can jam a team's top receiver at the line, and dominate each rep stride for stride at their hips. Azareye'h displays smooth hip movement and change of direction to make a break on the ball at any time, and didn't allow a single touchdown in coverage last season. This would be an incredible value for the Commanders in the second round, but a deep cornerback class makes this selection a possibility. The Commanders hope to see a fully healthy Marshon Lattimore in 2025. They could also move Mike Sainristil back into the slot position to give Washington a shutdown corner trio with the addition of Thomas.

Washington would have their next franchise corner with Thomas, who will still be under 25 years old after his rookie contract. The Washington Commanders had one of the best single-season turnarounds in recent NFL history. Thanks to an electric rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, they went from a four-win team to a berth in the NFC Championship Game. However, with offense bearing the brunt of the load, the team needs to make a concentrated effort on defense to balance themselves out and increase their ceiling. The latest mock draft from PFSN courtesy of Brentley Weissman offers them exactly that chance. The Washington Commanders were rumored to have an interest in Garrett, suggesting that they believed they must improve their pass rushers.

This is the sweet spot in the draft where adding a pass rusher and still getting good value makes sense. Marshall’s Mike Green was among the best players at the Senior Bowl and helped boost his stock to the first round. He may have played at a lower competition level, but this prospect has excellent potential. As a quick and bendy edge defender, look for Green to excel on third downs early in his career. A unit that ranked 17th on PFSN’s Defense+ metric will surely need the all help it can get, and as Weissman describes, Green is one of the best value options available at 29. Not only because everyone knew the Washington Commanders were set to take franchise-altering, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick.

That pick was one of nine made to help kick off the new era led by general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn. Now, those decision-makers look to build on that class and the franchise’s stunning 12-win campaign, which ended with an NFC Championship Game appearance. The rub is that, for now, Washington only has five picks this year and in 2026 after making three trades since November for veterans Marshon Lattimore, Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil. Of those remaining picks, the first is 29th overall. Those factors make for some challenging projections. The laundry list of positions requiring some form of boost increases the uncertainty.

The Commanders utilized free agency and the early trade market to bolster their left tackle and wide receiver positions, and the roster’s overall depth. Peters won’t make desperate choices accordingly. Still, the edge defender group lacks upside and athleticism. The cornerback and offensive line rooms could use more competition. Large swaths of the roster, including expected running back and wide receiver starters, are filled with players on expiring contracts. Landing more picks to target areas of need and players with leadership traits could lead to trading down from the 29th or 61st overall, Washington’s only two picks in the top 127.

With the first round starting Thursday, here is the final Commanders-only mock draft. Fine, two final versions, one with trades and one without. All quotes are from The Athletic’s draft guide, “The Beast,” written and compiled by analyst Dane Brugler. An asterisk (*) indicates players who served as team captains, an important distinction since seven of those nine picks last season had that resume line. Here are the full team-by-team results from Chad Reuter's seven-round mock draft of active NFL players for the 2025 season. Good news for the Washington Commanders as they kept their offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury in the house.

That could help Jayden Daniels have another banner year. Looking forward, here is an analysis of the Commanders' three-round 2025 NFL Draft, according to the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator. The Commanders enter the draft with needs at wide receiver, offensive tackle, edge rusher, and cornerback (thanks to Ron Rivera’s knuckleheaded decision to draft Emmanuel Forbes Jr. in the first round in 2023). So what did the simulator churn out for Washington in the first three rounds? When looking at the Commanders’ needs, this doesn’t fit the bill.

Yes, the running back position is not NFL elite, with Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler leading the way. But it doesn’t seem like the Commanders should burn their first pick on the position. Hampton grades out at a solid 88.2 for the NFL Draft. So he’s certainly not a slouch. With the free-agent market settling down, teams are turning their focus to the 2025 NFL Draft, which kicks off just four weeks from today.

This mock draft exercise provides a snapshot of the current draft landscape as we continue through the free agency period, highlighting potential landing spots, positional depth, value clusters, and overall positional importance. Let’s take a look at how the dominoes might fall if rounds 1-3 were held right now. The growing sense in the wake of the NFL Combine was that the first overall pick is for sale. As the Aaron Rodgers saga continues, it feels like the New York Giants may be the outliers despite their utter desperation to lure the future Hall of Famer. Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if Giants general manager Joe Schoen broke the glass on the nuclear codes when piecing together an offer to save his job. In the meantime, the Titans still own the No.

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