B-
Washington Commanders
Fitzgerald should have been long gone. The Commanders pounced, and earned a B-.
by draftpick ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 3 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how Ryan Fitzgerald got past him. The Commanders do not have to explain a thing at the 250th overall pick.
Powell-Ryland has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through quarterback. They left with wide receiver solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
Good work on the whole, with quarterback the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 29 they get a long-term starter on the line, even if it was a touch early. The biggest hole, addressed.
Antwaun Powell-Ryland at slot 64 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The roster fit checks out.
Maxwell Hairston at pick 79 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Taking Tory Horton in the Round 4 slot is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Dylan Sampson at the 148th pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Danny Stutsman in No. 169 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
They barely believed it either: Smael Mondon Jr. still on the board at Round 6, Pick 29. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Jake Briningstool at the 238th overall pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Somehow Ryan Fitzgerald was still sitting there in pick 250, and they pounced on premier specialist value. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.