B
Washington Commanders
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Commanders a B.
by smsmith70 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
There was a run on nobody at that position, and the Commanders started one anyway for Jalen Travis, 142 picks ahead of schedule. Good, not great, and the B says as much.
The Fitzgerald pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. They punted on wide receiver, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
Good work on the whole, with wide receiver the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a premier pass rusher, though the board says they badly overpaid.
Circle this one: Jalon Walker at the 61st overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Jalen Travis at pick 148 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Brashard Smith at the 207th pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A specialist of that caliber at slot 238 is the definition of value, full stop. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Jeffrey Bassa in pick No. 250, plain and simple. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.