Washington Commanders 2025 Draft Recap (5-1-25)

By: Jaden Golding

ALL Photo Courtesy: Washington Commanders 

GREEN BAY, WI – At the end of April, the Washington Commanders selected their five 2025 draft picks from Lambeau Field. General Manager Adam Peters didn’t have as many picks at his disposal as the 2024 season, which saw him add some key players that supported the NFC Championship run this past season. 

Earlier in the offseason, Peters made some key additions to the roster, helping to address needs on both offense and defense. Even though the Commanders had ideas and discussions of possibly trading back to strengthen their areas of concern further, Peters chose to remain in their respective draft slots.

Now let’s see what new faces join D.C.….

Round 1  #29th Overall Pick:

Offensive Tackle Josh Conerly Jr. (Oregon) – Some Commanders’ fans scratched their heads after this pick. But they have to remember who their GM is. Peters told the media how highly he and the organization thought of Conerly Jr., who was one of their top prospects on the draft board. Conerly Jr. spent three years in Oregon and became a full-time starter from the 2023 season to 2024. He was named to the Third-team Associated Press All-American and first-team All-Big Ten. He’s an athletic tackle who provides good vision moving in between the lines from block to block. He excels at finishing his run blocks and in passing protection, allowing only two sacks from his sophomore to junior year. This is a great addition to the revamped Washington o-line, adding a great young talent playing opposite of star Laremy Tunsil, who can help solidify the protection of one of, if not your most valuable asset, in quarterback Jayden Daniels. 

Round 2 #61st Overall Pick:

Cornerback Trey Amos (Ole Miss)- What an addition Amos will be for the secondary team this upcoming season and in the future. Amos can shape up to be a huge steal for the Commanders. The 6’1″ defensive back is a physical, fast player who uses his length and size to his advantage when in coverage. He is good at getting his hands involved in plays to disrupt passes, he also displays excellent zone coverage using his patience and vision to guide him. He could use improvements in his man-to-man coverage, not allowing space between him and the defender, and strengthening his open-field tackling. But he has all the tools to become an elite starting cornerback who can go up against the best receivers week in and week out. 

Round 4 #128th Pick:

Wide receiver Jaylin Lane (Virginia Tech)- Lane will be a great dynamic offensive piece for Kliff Kingsbury to use in different ways. Lane is an explosive, fast receiver who can help stretch the field, creating chunk plays for the offense. He is also a very good yards-after-catch person who can keep plays alive and can even return punts when his name is called. Before joining Virginia Tech in 2023, Lane put up career highs at Middle Tennessee State, where he caught 69 passes for 940 yards, with 944 yards coming from scrimmage and five touchdowns. 

Round 6 #205th Pick:

Linebacker Kain Medrano (UCLA)- A six-year senior, team captain, and two-year full-time starter, the Bruin linebacker had a great 2024 season, finishing with 72 total tackles (50 solo), 11 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions, four pass deflections, three forced fumbles, and one touchdown. He’s an experienced collegiate player who fits what Dan Quinn is looking for in their draft day selections. Medrano is a physically athletic player who has the speed and size to develop into a nice player for the defense. He’s a great short-yardage coverer who uses his speed to cover the underneath well but also boasts the ability to stay with tight ends when needed. He can fill up holes well, but it’s a matter of whether he can improve his tackling so that he doesn’t get outphysicaled by linemen. He will still need time to polish his skills and development, what better person to learn that from than the future Hall Of Famer Bobby Wagner, but expect him to have a big role as a special teamer in year one.

Round 7 #245th Pick: 

Running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (Arizona)- The 5’10” running back could be the answer the Commanders were looking for in the future. In 2023, in New Mexico, he carried the ball 189 times, rushing for 1190 yards, 6.3 per attempt, and finding the endzone 17 times. He’s a great runner with excellent vision, burst speed out of the holes, excellent balance control between tackles, and the ability to cut precisely out of the open field. Overall, he brings a great physical presence out of the backfield that will run hard on every run. Even though he missed all of his games but one with Arizona this past season due to an eligibility dispute, he still came out in the East-West Shrine Bowl in January and showed his full abilities, running for 97 yards on 11 carries and two rushing touchdowns.