B
Washington Commanders
The Commanders robbed the room for Cornelius. Final grade: B.
by I'll take it ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 5 steals
· 1 reaches
When a board-topper like Ajani Cornelius slides to slot 181, you do not overthink it, and the Commanders did not. It nets out to a B, which feels about right.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped tight end, which is a strange place to end up.
Good work on the whole, with tight end the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 29 they get a difference-maker at receiver, and a steal at that. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Zy Alexander at the Round 2 slot squarely in line with his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Marcus Mbow in slot 79 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board fumbled Sebastian Castro all the way to pick No. 148, and they scooped it up. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Taking Ajani Cornelius in Round 6, Pick 3 is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They will replay Phil Mafah at the 207th pick for years; that is how good the value is. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Good price on Trevor Etienne in No. 228, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The roster fit checks out.
They liked DJ Campbell enough to skip the value, taking him in the 232nd overall pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.