A-
Washington Commanders
Grand theft in pick No. 221: the Commanders steal Howard and grade out a A-.
by depotmaster ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 10 steals
· 0 reaches
When a board-topper like Will Howard slides to the Round 7 slot, you do not overthink it, and the Commanders did not.
The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. They punted on tight end, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
In short, they turned a good board into a better roster, and it shows.
Pick-by-Pick
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, Jahdae Barron in pick 34, plain and simple. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Marcus Mbow at the 61st overall pick. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Kaleb Johnson at Round 3, Pick 15 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They robbed the room for Savion Williams here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Taking Emery Jones Jr. in the Round 6 slot is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Circle this one: Kevin Winston Jr. at the 206th pick is a fall that decides a draft. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Somehow JJ Pegues was still sitting there in No. 207, and they pounced on premier interior defensive lineman value. The roster fit checks out.
Will Howard in slot 221 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They will replay Alex Mastromanno at the Round 7 slot for years; that is how good the value is. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Steal is underselling it; Jack Kiser at pick 250 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A minor need, but a need all the same.