D-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders lost the trade table, and the D- tells the story.
by smsmith70 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 7 steals
· 5 reaches
The Commanders clearly saw something nobody else did in Oluwafemi Oladejo, taking him 109 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced. Too much went sideways, and the D- is the honest tally.
The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. Landing White III that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped quarterback, which is a strange place to end up.
In short, the board sent warnings, and they will be hoping it was wrong.
Pick-by-Pick
Landon Jackson at slot 29 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Azareye'h Thomas in No. 63 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They took Deone Walker at par in Round 3, Pick 1, which is nothing to complain about. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Harold Fannin Jr. slipping to the 66th pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They liked Savion Williams enough to skip the value, taking him in the Round 3 slot. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They talked themselves into Anthony Belton at pick 95, and the board did not agree. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Oluwafemi Oladejo at pick No. 132 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A need, and now a little less of one.
Brashard Smith slid further than he should have, and the 134th overall pick is lovely value for the running back. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Somehow Emery Jones Jr. was still sitting there in the Round 5 slot, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They robbed the room for Ryan Fitzgerald here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
They barely believed it either: Dorian Strong still on the board at slot 195. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A running back of that caliber at No. 207 is the definition of value, full stop. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Jalen Travis at the 238th pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A real head-scratcher, Nick Martin in Round 7, Pick 30 is miles ahead of his ranking. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Ricky White III at the 250th pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.