B-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders cashed the board's mistake on Smith: B-.
by dantew ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 5 steals
· 2 reaches
Somebody in pick 238 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Commanders sat still while Brashard Smith, the No. 116 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. Call it a sensible B-, earned the boring way.
Every board in the league had Stewart lower, and that gap is the story. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped quarterback, which is a strange place to end up.
The trades cost them a sliver of value they did not need to spend. They left with wide receiver solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the quarterback spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 29th overall pick they get a double-digit-sack hope, a steep price for the projection. A clean fit for the roster.
Matthew Golden at pick 61 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
No edge and no loss on Jackson Slater in Round 5, Pick 8; it is a wash and a sensible one. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Somehow O'Donnell Fortune was still sitting there in the Round 5 slot, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Taking Oronde Gadsden II in slot 164 is close to grand larceny; a tight end that good had no business lasting this long. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Smael Mondon Jr. in No. 207, plain and simple. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Circle this one: Brashard Smith at pick No. 238 is a fall that decides a draft. A need, and now a little less of one.
A real head-scratcher, J.C. Davis in the 250th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.