As a lead-up to the 2025 NFL draft, we've broken down the current depth chart of every NFL team and identified the biggest draft and team needs for the Washington Commanders.
You can find additional team-by-team draft needs articles and other draft content on our 2025 NFL Draft Hub.
Who Did the Washington Commanders Select in the 2025 NFL Draft?
The Washington Commanders selected Josh Conerly Jr. (OT, Oregon) with the No. 29 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Commanders also selected:
- Trey Amos (CB, Ole Miss)
- Jaylin Lane (WR, Virginia Tech)
- Kain Medrano (LB, UCLA)
- Jacory Croskey–Merritt (RB, Arizona)
Washington Commanders Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2025
- Edge Rusher
- Defensive Back
- Wide Receiver
What Picks Do the Washington Commanders Have in 2025?
The Washington Commanders have 5 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, including:
- Round 1 (29)
- Round 2 (61)
- Round 4 (128)
- Round 6 (205)
- Round 7 (245)
Preorder The Best Analytical 2025 Football Preview
Don't miss out on Warren Sharp's 500+ page preview of the 2025 NFL season.
The preview is unlike anything you have ever seen, featuring stunning visualizations built with the reader in mind.
This preview shares insights into players, coaches, teams, and philosophies with one goal in mind: to get you prepared for the 2025 NFL season by delivering the smartest information in the fastest, most direct way possible.
Preorder the 2025 Football Preview now!
Washington Commanders 2025 Draft Capital Stats
The Commanders have the 31st-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.
Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.
Washington Commanders Draft Value vs. Other Teams:
The Commanders’ draft value is 41% lower than the league average of all 32 teams.
Washington Commanders Draft Prediction:
Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Commanders to draft:
- Brendan Donahue's 2025 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
- Ryan McCrystal's 2025 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #8 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
Washington Commanders Strength of Schedule, 2025
The Washington Commanders have the 19th-easiest NFL strength of schedule for the 2025 NFL season.
Washington Commanders Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs
Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Washington Commanders, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Quarterback Depth Chart, Commanders:
- Jayden Daniels
- Marcus Mariota
- Josh Johnson
- Sam Hartman
2024 was an exciting season for Washington, primarily based on the success of Jayden Daniels as a rookie.
Daniels ended up with a sensational rookie season, completing 69.0% of his passes (6th) for 7.4 yards per attempt (14th).
He threw 3,568 yards with 25 touchdowns to 9 interceptions.
On the ground, Daniels added 891 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Washington played in their first Conference Championship Game since 1991, snapping the second-longest drought for a team.
They ended the year fourth in points per drive (2.72), fifth in EPA per play (0.11), and fifth in success rate (46.2%) with a rookie quarterback.
You can even argue that, as good as he was as a rookie, he was a bit unlucky.
Daniels only had 3 passing touchdowns on throws that were run in by the pass catcher and not thrown into the end zone.
Only Trevor Lawrence (2) and Cooper Rush (1) had fewer.
Neither played the entire season.
Washington stressed the need to add a playmaker with the football in his hands, which they accomplished in adding Deebo Samuel.
Having a quarterback on his rookie contract has allowed Washington to be aggressive this offseason, adding Laremy Tunsil for Daniels up front.
The team retained Marcus Mariota in free agency on a one-year contract as insurance behind Daniels.
Mariota appeared in three games last season, connecting on 34 of 44 passes (77.3%) for 8.3 Y/A and 4 touchdowns passing, adding a rushing touchdown.
Running Back Depth Chart, Commanders:
- Brian Robinson
- Austin Ekeler
- Jeremy McNichols
- Chris Rodriguez
- Michael Wiley
Washington found success as a running team last season.
Their running backs combined for 4.5 yards per rush (11th) with a 45.2% success rate (2nd).
Brian Robinson turned 207 touches into 958 yards and 8 touchdowns over 14 games.
Austin Ekeler had a productive season when presented with touches.
He averaged 6.5 yards per touch, the most for him since 2019.
He averaged 10.5 yards per reception, which is also his most since 2019.
Although he only appeared in 12 games, Ekeler was fourth among running backs in receiving yards per game (30.5).
Ekeler was not used heavily in the run game, averaging 6.4 attempts, his fewest since his rookie season.
Washington coaxed out production from their backfield last season, but things slowed down to close the year.
Brian Robinson had 2 rushing touchdowns over his final 8 games after scoring 6 over the season's opening six games.
Over that span, he has rushed 102 times for 403 yards (4.0 YPC), failing to gain yardage on 21.6% of his runs.
The league rate for running backs over that span was 17%.
Robinson ran 36 times in the postseason for 129 yards (3.6 YPC).
They also lacked explosive plays from their backs in the run game.
Washington backs ran for 10 or more yards on 9.9% of their runs, which was 21st in the league.
Given their approach this offseason, Washington is not shy about adding difference makers.
It would not be surprising to see this team add a running back.
On top of that, no running back on the roster is under contract beyond this season.
They have restricted rights on Chris Rodriguez, but Robinson and Ekeler are slated to become unrestricted free agents.
They have used top-30 visits on Jaydon Blue, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Ollie Gordon, and Kaleb Johnson.
Wide Receiver Depth Chart, Commanders:
- Terry McLaurin
- Deebo Samuel
- Noah Brown
- Luke McCaffrey
- Michael Gallup
- Lawrence Cager
- J. Osborn
- Mike Strachan
- Chris Moore
- Demetric Felton
- Kazmeir Allen
We finally saw Terry McLaurin attached to viable quarterback play, and the results were strong.
McLaurin only had 117 targets (his fewest since his rookie season), but he caught 82 passes (his most since 2020) for 1,096 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns.
His 70.1% catch rate was the highest rate of his career.
That came while Washington did not do much to get McLaurin creative opportunities.
Under Kliff Kingsbury, McLaurin was thrust into an isolated role at left wide receiver.
McLaurin played 681 snaps at LWR last season compared to 95 at RWR (he played 154 in the slot).
He made up for that with splash plays and touchdowns.
McLaurin had 43.2% of the team's targets in the end zone (WR5).
No player in the league had more touchdowns than McLaurin’s 11 on throws into the end zone.
McLaurin sneakily turns 30 this September and is in the final season of his contract.
Behind McLaurin, the Washington wide receiver room was a rotating door.
No other wide receiver on the roster was on the field for more than 45.8% of the team's dropbacks.
While McLaurin had 117 targets, the next closest receiver had 64.
That was Olamide Zaccheaus, who moved on to Chicago in free agency.
Shoring up a legit secondary target at the position, Washington traded for Deebo Samuel.
Samuel is coming off career-lows with 3.4 receptions for 44.7 yards per game as a receiver.
He also ranked 102nd in ESPN’s Open Score for receivers last season.
While those two notes could suggest that Samuel is on the downswing, pneumonia impacted his counting stats during the season, and his ability to win downfield is not overly concerning given his playstyle fit in this offense.
Over the season's first six weeks, Samuel was targeted on 21.2% of his routes, averaging 4.0 catches and 67.0 yards per game.
After pneumonia, he was targeted on 18.7% of his routes, averaging 3.4 catches for 37.2 yards per game.
That does not give him a complete hall pass since there was also something going on behind closed doors in San Francisco, but Samuel still did win near the line of scrimmage.
He has never been a downfield asset.
In 2024, Samuel averaged 6.8 air yards per target, 128th among wide receivers with 100 or more routes run.
But he still was a tackle breaker, forcing a missed tackle on 25 of his 93 touches.
Samuel averaged 8.3 yards after the catch per reception, which was 7th in the league.
This fits what McLaurin brings to the table and meshes with what Washington wanted to do near the line of scrimmage.
Jayden Daniels attempted 25.6% of his passes at or behind the line of scrimmage, the seventh-highest rate in the league.
He was fifth in screen pass rate (12.9%) and seventh in slants (8.3%).
That is essentially Samuel’s game.
Now, Samuel still does come with some baggage.
He has only played one full season in his career.
He is also only under contract this season, which is the same as McLaurin.
Washington still needs to get younger with added contractual depth at wide receiver and pass catcher in general.
If you were to make bets on the top of their target tree in 2025, it would be McLaurin (30), Samuel (29), Zach Ertz (35), and Ekeler (31), and not one of those players is under contract after this season.
They have signed a gaggle of veterans as depth, but Luke McCaffrey is the only wide receiver currently signed beyond 2025.
Tight End Depth Chart, Commanders:
- Zach Ertz
- John Bates
- Ben Sinnott
- Tyree Jackson
- Cole Turner
- Colson Yankoff
In his age-34 season, Zach Ertz caught 66 of 91 targets for 654 yards and 7 touchdowns.
He closed the year strong.
Over his past seven full games played in the regular season, Ertz tied for the team lead in targets (41) with a team-high 6 touchdowns.
In the playoffs, he caught 18 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown.
That earned Ertz another one-year contract this offseason.
John Bates also received a new contract this offseason.
Bates served as the primary run blocker at the position, staying in to block on 72% of snaps.
Washington selected Ben Sinnott in the second round last year (53rd overall), but he did not find a role in the offense.
Sinnott was a “master of none” coming out of college, more H-back than tight end, and it would take some adjusting to the NFL to find footing.
He only played 27% of the snaps, catching 5 passes for 28 yards.
With Ertz and Bates returning, Sinnott could face another uphill battle for snaps in year two.
Offensive Line Depth Chart, Commanders:
LT: Laremy Tunsil, Brandon Coleman, Anim Dankwah
LG: Nick Allegretti, Nate Herbig, Julian Good-Jones
C: Tyler Biadasz, Michael Deiter
RG: Sam Cosmi, Trent Scott, Chris Paul
RT: Andrew Wylie, Foster Sarell, Bobby Hart
Washington ended last year ninth in ESPN’s pass block win rate (66%) and second in run block win rate (74%).
Pro Football Focus told a different story, ranking 22nd in pass blocking grade and 28th in run blocking grade.
After writing up almost every team to this point, I have noticed that ESPN’s metrics favor teams that throw the ball quickly near the line of scrimmage, which makes sense.
That explains some of the discrepancy here regarding pass blocking, but the gap between ESPN’s metrics and PFF in the run game is the starkest difference we have come across.
Washington is bringing back every starter from last year, aside from left tackle, which they upgraded before the draft.
Adding Laremy Tunsil, Washington has a front-end tackle for their rookie quarterback.
Not only was Tunsil Houston’s best player up front last season, but he was also the only one who played in every game.
Tunsil did have 19 penalties, but he was still excellent in pass protection, allowing a 3.1% pressure rate (sixth best among tackles).
Tunsil has two seasons remaining on his contract, and his cap hits are $21.3 million each season.
Sam Cosmi, Nick Allegretti, and Tyler Biadasz are also signed for multiple seasons.
Right tackle has some long-term fragility.
Andrew Wylie only has one year remaining on his contract.
Washington is more than cognizant, as they have used four top-30 visits on offensive tackles this offseason.
Washington Commanders Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs
Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Washington Commanders, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Defensive Line Depth Chart, Commanders:
- Daron Payne
- Javon Kinlaw
- Jer'Zhan Newton
- Eddie Goldman
- Sheldon Day
- Jalyn Holmes
- Norell Pollard
Washington struggled to stop the run in 2024, allowing 4.9 yards per carry to running backs (30th) and 2.02 yards before contact on those carries (31st).
They were 31st in explosive run rate allowed and 25th in negative run rate forced.
So…not great.
Jonathan Allen is gone from the 2024 defensive line group, and the Commanders added Javon Kinlaw on a big deal in free agency.
Kinlaw was drafted by the 49ers when now Commanders GM Adam Peters was the assistant GM there, so he knows a lot more about the player than we do.
That said, the signing appears to be an overpay on the surface given what Kinlaw has offered to this point in his career.
He had an 8.3% pressure rate with 4.5 sacks last year with the Jets.
That pressure rate ranked 86th among qualified pass rushers.
While Allen is gone, Daron Payne is back after a lackluster 2024 in which he was not as productive against the run as he has been in the past.
The Commanders will also hope for more from 2024 second-round pick Jer'Zhan Newton, who had a 7.4% pressure rate as a rookie.
That said, Newton did make some plays in the backfield in the running game (8 stuffs) and recorded a tackle on 14.8% of his run defense snaps, so those are positive signs for the young player.
In addition to Kinlaw, Washington also brought in Eddie Goldman, who has sat out three of the previous five seasons but did play 17 games with the Falcons last year.
Goldman was a force against the run earlier in his career, and perhaps he can refind that form with Washington.
Washington already has a lot invested here, so it is unlikely they will spend real draft capital on the defensive line, but they need better play from their top three in 2025.
EDGE Depth Chart, Commanders:
- Dorance Armstrong
- Deatrich Wise
- Clelin Ferrell
- Jacob Martin
- Javontae Jean-Baptiste
- Viliami Fehoko Jr.
- Andre Jones Jr.
- T.J. Maguranyanga
Washington got after the quarterback effectively in 2024, logging a 35.3% pressure rate (12th) and 43 sacks (11th).
The team leader in sacks was Dante Fowler Jr, but he left for the Cowboys in free agency.
That opens a big hole in this group.
Dorance Armstrong is back after 5 sacks in 2024, but his 13.3% pressure rate suggests he was a bit unlucky with that total.
That rate ranked 28th among qualified pass rushers.
As expected when he signed last offseason, the Commanders also got a big pass rush boost from linebacker Frankie Luvu, who was second on the team with 8 sacks.
Still, they need another impact pass rusher to play opposite Armstrong.
Clelin Ferrell got pressure on 9.6% of his pass rushes last year, which is near his career average.
Washington brought in both Deatrich Wise and Jacob Martin in free agency.
Wise got 5 sacks for the Patriots last season, but he had an 8% pressure rate, which is also around where he has been throughout his career.
Martin is interesting given he has a 15.1% pressure rate over the last three seasons, but that came on limited snaps with four different teams.
Perhaps he can be impactful with the Commanders, but he will turn 30 during the season and has not played real snaps on defense since 2021.
Ferrell, Wise, and Martin are all solid players with strengths, but they are not the starter Washington needs opposite Armstrong as they look to push during Jayden Daniels‘ rookie contract.
They are also all scheduled to be free agents after the season.
Washington could spend an early pick on the edge.
Linebacker Depth Chart, Commanders:
- Bobby Wagner
- Frankie Luvu
- Jordan Magee
- Dominique Hampton
- Nick Bellore
The only concerns at linebacker are long term after the Commanders brought back Bobby Wagner this offseason.
Despite being 34, Wagner was outstanding in his first season in Washington, rightfully earning a Pro Bowl nod.
Wagner logged 19 run stuffs and recorded a tackle on 22% of his run defense snaps.
He was third among all qualified linebackers in run stuffs and 13th in tackle rate.
He finished fifth among qualified linebackers in yards allowed per coverage snap.
It is fair to wonder how much longer Wagner can play at an elite level, but he showed no signs of slowing down in 2024.
As mentioned above, Frankie Luvu made an impact in his first season with the team, logging an interception, a forced fumble, and 8 sacks.
He was also quality in coverage, allowing just 4.3 yards per target and a 78.3 quarterback rating.
Wagner played the most snaps on defense for Washington last season, and Luvu played the second most, which did not leave a lot of room for the rest of the unit.
2024 fifth-round pick Jordan Magee played just 15 snaps on defense in 8 games while dealing with two different injuries.
Another fifth-round pick last year, Dominique Hampton was a college safety who transitioned to linebacker last year but did not see any playing time.
Those two offer young depth behind the starting duo, but they are not ideal depth for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
It is also unclear if they are the long term answers behind Wagner, who is playing again on a one-year deal.
Cornerback Depth Chart, Commanders:
- Marshon Lattimore
- Mike Sainristil
- Jonathan Jones
- Noah Igbinoghene
- Kevon Seymour
- Bobby Price
- Allan George
Washington allowed 7.0 yards per pass attempt in 2024 (16th) and a 5.0% touchdown rate (22nd).
They struggled to limit big plays, giving up at least 20 passing yards on 8.7% of the attempts they faced (24th).
The Commanders tried to shore up their pass defense with a midseason trade for Marshon Lattimore, but he played just two games in the regular season after the trade.
He was healthy enough to start all three games in the playoffs, but his overall season was below his normal standards.
Washington will hope for a bounce back in year two.
A second-round pick last year, Mike Sainristil played the most snaps among the corner group as a rookie.
He was not stellar, allowing 6 touchdowns and a 96.7 quarterback rating in coverage, but he was solid enough in his first taste of NFL action.
Again, Washington will hope for improvement in year two.
Jonathan Jones was added in free agency, and he should compete with Noah Igbinoghene for the No. 3 job.
Jones struggled last year, allowing 7 touchdowns and a 138.1 quarterback rating in coverage, a concerning downturn for a player who will turn 32 in September.
He can be a factor in the run game close to the line of scrimmage, so it will be interesting to see how the Commanders use him.
Perhaps moving back into the slot would help.
Washington probably has enough here to get by if necessary, but adding a starter-level option to this group would make it all look a lot better.
Safety Depth Chart, Commanders:
- Quan Martin
- Will Harris
- Percy Butler
- Jeremy Reaves
- Tyler Owens
- Ben Nikkel
Jeremy Chinn left in free agency after playing over 1,000 snaps last season, but Washington added Will Harris to fill the void.
Harris was solid enough over 13 games with the Saints last year and offers some experience next to 2023 second-round pick Quan Martin.
Martin became a full-time starter in his second season, finishing 24th among qualified safeties in yards allowed per coverage snap.
Both starters have two years left on their deals.
Percy Butler offers experienced depth after playing over 1,200 snaps on defense the last two years, but those have not been particularly quality reps.
He is scheduled to be a free agent after the season.
Like at corner, there is enough here to get by in 2025, especially if Martin takes another step forward, but an addition that moves Harris into that No. 3 role and Butler down another step would improve the defense.