B
Washington Commanders
The Commanders robbed the room for Barton. Final grade: B.
by Duke Dog ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 6 steals
· 2 reaches
The rest of the league will want that one back. Lander Barton tumbling to the Commanders in the 238th pick is a gift they did not have to think twice about. A dependable weekend that grades out a B.
Griffith has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. The tight end hole is the one line item this class does not answer. Small wins on the phones, but wins all the same.
On the needs board they went 5 of 8, with wide receiver the one that mattered most.
Good work on the whole, with tight end the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 31 they get a coverage-and-run second-level piece, outstanding value to boot. Need was not the driver here.
Donovan Jackson in the Round 2 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Good price on Jayden Higgins in the 79th pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Circle this one: Maxwell Hairston at pick No. 95 is a fall that decides a draft. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They barely believed it either: TreVeyon Henderson still on the board at pick 132. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Jared Wilson at No. 148 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Luke Kandra in the 207th overall pick, plain and simple. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Steal is underselling it; Lander Barton at Round 7, Pick 20 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Thor Griffith at the 250th pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.