The 2025 NFL Draft Thread

[The Consiglieri81]

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/20 ... commanders

Draft grades for all 32 from Yahoo sports

B+ sounds about right, we couldn't solve all needs in this draft, and what's more until we see a couple pieces on the field we don't know if they were good picks

As we know grades are meaningless. All it means of course is what would name that draft media guy do if he were the GM of Washington.

My biggest takeaway is they had two glaring weakness that could have derailed the season IMO -- CB, and O line. and in theory they fixed them both.

D Line is the only weakness on the team now IMO.

They inherited a crap roster from Ron. I never thought Ron would make Vinny and Bruce look like geniuses in comparison but he did IMO. The team went to the championship game in season 1, with if I recall over 50% turnover which is insane. So they earned the benefit of the doubt.

i wish they did more at RB but it might be enough. I like Croskey-Merritt. I know he's a 7th rounder. But heck that's the position where late rounders have done well in plenty of spots including our team years ago with 6th rounder Alfred Morris. Also hopefully the O line upgrades help the running game, too.

I'm probably being lazy in my analysis, but I'd say:
Edge is definitely the huge issue.

But after that depth at QB
RB
Age at WR
TE (if Sinnott is a bust)
LB (feel kind of old there too)
Safety not ideal.

I think the only area's that are catastrophic are Edge, and RB. Unless the 7th rounder hits, we're pretty --- at RB.

But I agree that in general, there's been substantial improvement of the roster in just two offseason.

Franchise QB acquired via draft
3 Stud OL's added and a good prospect
2 Stud DL's added
1 stud LB added
3 stud CB's (if you include Amos)

I'm trying to remember what else? Sinnott whom if he hits, would be quite productive based on his athleticism.

There's just a ton of goodies added, in the draft alone: Franchise QB, very good DT prospect, 2 excellent DB prospects, 2 excellent OL prospects, a TE who I like but did nothing last year, and none of that addresses day 2.

Very promising. Only thing I'd request is that they stop pilfering future draft classes, please, pretty please don't touch '27. We will need two quality classes full of potential cheap 4 year contracts to offset the cost of extending Daniels at such huge expense. Gutting the middle of '25, and a bit of the middle of '26, necessitates we stop smashing futures. I get they're trying to stock up for his rookie contract years: '24, '25, '26, '27, even the somewhat cheaper rookie option in '28, but we will need picks to actually keep a good team around him circa '28-'32 and beyond, and having lost a pile of picks from '25, and '26, we need to try to get compensatorise and stop trading away futures for '27 and '28.

[rvaskins]

Not on my watching-reading and I hit a pretty wide gamut. It's mostly love with minor criticisms. The minors ones that I encountered was Sikemma from PFf who ranked him 30, we took him 29 and said he doesn't love him as much as his co-host from PFF. McShay had him 45 but then goes on about how much he loves him. I gather I missed 1 or 2? But overall, lot of love for that pick from my encounters. One guy forgetting whom said more or less what gives? Since this will be Washington's third tackle, they don't need one. My thought is that's silly. They indeed need another tackle. Coleman is a guard.

The negatives that I read, and frankly, I don't care what some of these yahoos think, is that the Commanders had a bigger need at edge. I'm happy with the pick and think it will pay big dividends.

[skinsinparadise]

Not on my watching-reading and I hit a pretty wide gamut. It's mostly love with minor criticisms. The minors ones that I encountered was Sikemma from PFf who ranked him 30, we took him 29 and said he doesn't love him as much as his co-host from PFF. McShay had him 45 but then goes on about how much he loves him. I gather I missed 1 or 2? But overall, lot of love for that pick from my encounters. One guy forgetting whom said more or less what gives? Since this will be Washington's third tackle, they don't need one. My thought is that's silly. They indeed need another tackle. Coleman is a guard.

The negatives that I read, and frankly, I don't care what some of these yahoos think, is that the Commanders had a bigger need at edge. I'm happy with the pick and think it will pay big dividends.

Some say that but its not really centered on the Conerly pick. By saying they got mixed grades on Conerly, alludes to the idea of mixed feelings about the player from the draft media. But mostly there is love for that player and even that pick.

Even Florio who still finds ways to criticize this team about just about everything did a segment with Chris Simms where they were talking about sources they know with other teams were stunned that Conerly was still there at 29, and it was a homerun pick.

[skinsinparadise]

Not on my watching-reading and I hit a pretty wide gamut. It's mostly love with minor criticisms. The minors ones that I encountered was Sikemma from PFf who ranked him 30, we took him 29 and said he doesn't love him as much as his co-host from PFF. McShay had him 45 but then goes on about how much he loves him. I gather I missed 1 or 2? But overall, lot of love for that pick from my encounters. One guy forgetting whom said more or less what gives? Since this will be Washington's third tackle, they don't need one. My thought is that's silly. They indeed need another tackle. Coleman is a guard.

The negatives that I read, and frankly, I don't care what some of these yahoos think, is that the Commanders had a bigger need at edge. I'm happy with the pick and think it will pay big dividends.

Kiper was one who didn't love that they didn't get a pass rusher but it was centered on the Conerly pick

[The Consiglieri81]

Not on my watching-reading and I hit a pretty wide gamut. It's mostly love with minor criticisms. The minors ones that I encountered was Sikemma from PFf who ranked him 30, we took him 29 and said he doesn't love him as much as his co-host from PFF. McShay had him 45 but then goes on about how much he loves him. I gather I missed 1 or 2? But overall, lot of love for that pick from my encounters. One guy forgetting whom said more or less what gives? Since this will be Washington's third tackle, they don't need one. My thought is that's silly. They indeed need another tackle. Coleman is a guard.

The negatives that I read, and frankly, I don't care what some of these yahoos think, is that the Commanders had a bigger need at edge. I'm happy with the pick and think it will pay big dividends.

Some say that but its not really centered on the Conerly pick. By saying they got mixed grades on Conerly, alludes to the idea of mixed feelings about the player from the draft media. But mostly there is love for that player and even that pick.

Even Florio who still finds ways to criticize this team about just about everything did a segment with Chris Simms where they were talking about sources they know with other teams were stunned that Conerly was still there at 29, and it was a homerun pick.

I definitely think people are over-sensitive to critiques to the team because it's our team and because we've gotten an absolute ---- ton of criticism because of Snyder and Sucking for 25 years or nearly so of his ownership and they've just got to let that go.

The media's national reporting on the team was never about the playoffs because we've been so rarely in them (just '99, '05, '07, '12 and '15 between 1993 and 2019 and the fake playoff run of '20 because our division was hot garbage), they always got directed to cover us simply because of the latest shenanigans from our Dark Helmet wannabe idiot and mega evil owner, and whatever lying and prevaricating he was up to in any given moment over his latest nasty misdeeds. He was so comically and cheaply evil that he was always a ready-made story for national outlets, and the team sucking made it that much richer. It wasn't personal to us, it was personal to them, having to cover that a--hat scumbag Snyder, and deal with him and whatever nasty bull---- he was up to lately.

People need to let it go, criticism is fine. You guys forget the media was proven right 24 of what, 30 years or so after Gibbs I ended, and they had to deal with Snyder on a level that had to be absolutely horrifying. Let it go, let them critique, this past season I don't think I saw a negative story, period.

A great resource from a DC columnists reporting as a reminder of how truly awful it really was for the '99-'23 portion of hell is covered in the Owned Podcast episode on Snyder (I have no idea how it wasn't one of the first two or three episodes).

[skinsinparadise]

The negatives that I read, and frankly, I don't care what some of these yahoos think, is that the Commanders had a bigger need at edge. I'm happy with the pick and think it will pay big dividends.

Some say that but its not really centered on the Conerly pick. By saying they got mixed grades on Conerly, alludes to the idea of mixed feelings about the player from the draft media. But mostly there is love for that player and even that pick.

Even Florio who still finds ways to criticize this team about just about everything did a segment with Chris Simms where they were talking about sources they know with other teams were stunned that Conerly was still there at 29, and it was a homerun pick.

I definitely think people are over-sensitive to critiques to the team because it's our team and because we've gotten an absolute ---- ton of criticism because of Snyder and Sucking for 25 years or nearly so of his ownership and they've just got to let that go.

The media's national reporting on the team was never about the playoffs because we've been so rarely in them (just '99, '05, '07, '12 and '15 between 1993 and 2019 and the fake playoff run of '20 because our division was hot garbage), they always got directed to cover us simply because of the latest shenanigans from our Dark Helmet wannabe idiot and mega evil owner, and whatever lying and prevaricating he was up to in any given moment over his latest nasty misdeeds. He was so comically and cheaply evil that he was always a ready-made story for national outlets, and the team sucking made it that much richer. It wasn't personal to us, it was personal to them, having to cover that a--hat scumbag Snyder, and deal with him and whatever nasty bull---- he was up to lately.

People need to let it go, criticism is fine. You guys forget the media was proven right 24 of what, 30 years or so after Gibbs I ended, and they had to deal with Snyder on a level that had to be absolutely horrifying. Let it go, let them critique, this past season I don't think I saw a negative story, period.

A great resource from a DC columnists reporting as a reminder of how truly awful it really was for the '99-'23 portion of hell is covered in the Owned Podcast episode on Snyder (I have no idea how it wasn't one of the first two or three episodes).

I get your point. I take it in a different direction but in that same spirit. I think some of the reason why some got bothered by media criticism is that you are rooting for a team that isn't hot but heck you still want to feel good in the off season. If you can't feel good then, when can you feel good?

I was a pretty loud critic of Vinny, Bruce, Dan. I had Ron's back initially because i liked his personality in the context of an organization that wasn't likeable. But I turned on him during his last off season when i took the gloves offs. Yet I tried to talk myself into their drafts, even though it rarely matched what i would do, but that changed for me with Ron's last one which I hated just about instantly and I turned hard against him.

But yeah we are in a new world to your point. I don't sense conversing with some fans that they struggle connecting that the critics of the past were proven correct for the most part. I find the adjustment is looking at this off season like we are competiting for a SB NOW. Not in 2029 but now.

I look at this off season in a very different way than I used to. I can tell some fans are on that same ride. But if feels like there are some straggler fans who have the same mindset as if nothing has changed where these debates today are the same as any other year. But IMO, the context and game has shifted entirely. It's not that these fans don't recognize that the team isn't now good. But its sort of like we are used to cooking Pizza but now we making steaks -- yet the debates can feel like we are still focused on the off season as if we are still Pizza chefs and the shift hasn't changed to steak as if its the same recipe either way.

I think McShay really brought it home to me personally when he said in a podcast more or less frankly the draft doesn't matter if you don't have a QB. Sounds harsh. But digesting his point, its true. I could be excited that Ron drafted Quan Martin who was one of my favorite players in that draft but in the scheme of things it doesn't matter how good or not he is. Whether we are 7-9 or 9-8, or 6-10 or whatever its just is a new version of the same hamster wheel. I recognized that in real time plenty. But it was fun to get a bit delusional some times and wonder if this or that broke right.

But going back to McShay, as he said we are at the Big Boys table now. It's a different world. Different approach. Different drill. Not that I needed to hear it from him but sometimes third parties can be more objective so no emotion attached.

Part of the reason why I love this off season is the focus on o line. When I think about big boy playoff teams, that's often a strength. I wondered when watching Tampa but more so Detroit and Philly, how long will it takes us to compete with them on that level where they can handle good defensive fronts. Their O lines are special. IMHO in one off season at least on paper, our O line is in the same conversation as any team on that front. If you told me before the off season that we'd have a top 5 veteran LT, and one of the best tackles from the draft in one off season, I'd think that's too good to be true and lets not get crazy.

The other thing about O line is can take a long time to build one because its a premium in the draft, these guys fly off the board early and almost impossible to find good tackles hitting FA. But they figured it out. Ulitimately, we need to fix the D line but its an easier position to upgrade IMO and you can't rebuild Rome in one day.

[rvaskins]

Some say that but its not really centered on the Conerly pick. By saying they got mixed grades on Conerly, alludes to the idea of mixed feelings about the player from the draft media. But mostly there is love for that player and even that pick.

I could have worded what I said better. I didn't mean that they were down on Conerly the player. Just the opposite. He is getting a lot of good reviews. What I meant was the the pick itself would have benefited us better if we selected a Edge. I don/t subscribe to that theory. I'm a firm believer that you draft BPA.

[skinsinparadise]

Some say that but its not really centered on the Conerly pick. By saying they got mixed grades on Conerly, alludes to the idea of mixed feelings about the player from the draft media. But mostly there is love for that player and even that pick.

I could have worded what I said better. I didn't mean that they were down on Conerly the player. Just the opposite. He is getting a lot of good reviews. What I meant was the the pick itself would have benefited us better if we selected a Edge. I don/t subscribe to that theory. I'm a firm believer that you draft BPA.

Outside of finding a QB, I think the hardest thing in the league now is establishing a great O line. I don't mean a decent one or even a good one but one that rivals what the Eagles, Lions built, etc. I don't mean one player, etc but the whole unit. It takes typically years to do.

FA has becoming more and more scare for that spot especially at tackle over the years. O lineman go earlier than expected in the draft.

It's not just a premium spot but its arguably the hardest spot to land in recent years. It didn't used to be. But the NFL changes and evolves. And with each passing year, it seems harder and harder to find tackles.

The fact that at least on paper they got potentially two very good tackles has me stoked.

[skinsinparadise]

I'd add for Conerly, and from what i can tell about all these guys is they fit the culture. From this article (if anyone here hasn't read it, its worth a read), the culture-bonding that drove last years team wasn't some random luck that they stumbled on.

https://www.golongtd.com/p/inside-dan-q ... sformation

Inside Dan Quinn's total transformation of the Washington Commanders
How did a laughingstock of a franchise become a contender overnight? Jayden Daniels is the catalyst, of course. But the head coach was also a grand-slam hire. His unorthodox approach is paying off.

...Usually, that’s when head coaches are dying to surgically implant X’s and O’s and coaching philosophies into the brains of players. Fancy slogans are painted on walls. T-shirts are printed. This is their chance to put into action everything they’ve learned from endless mentors and self-help books. Here? Quinn’s mandate to his entire staff of 20+ assistants was simple: Do not talk football. He told the position coaches to learn as much as they could about their players’ upbringing, interests, families, how they’re wired.

The Commanders would be built on a foundation of genuine relationships. Not a dictatorship.

Playbooks could collect dust. Quinn informed his staff that football would take care of itself because they’re all athletic, all smart, all gifted. Players needed to know coaches cared about them — first.

Quinn’s mission was immediate and explicit, adds quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard: “Make this the best environment to work in, in all of pro sports.”

To accomplish this, Quinn knew his coaches needed to understand the people in their room.

“Because everything we can and will do,” Pritchard says, “will hinge on how connected we are in ways beyond football.”

...One day, Tapp took all 18 guys inside his defensive line room go-karting. They picked teams through a random draft, wore the team colors (white, gold, burgundy) and raced. Tapp, Daron Payne and Benning Potoa’e took the crown with the fastest cumulative time. (“To see a bunch of grown 250-pound to 310-pound men acting like kids,” Tapp says, “is pretty comical.”)

Another day, they all went skeet shooting.

Another day, Andre Jones Jr. — an avid fisherman — took teammates to a local lake.

Other position groups went bowling. Or out for dinners. Naturally, everyone became more of a family. This period set the tone for relationship-building all season long. Inside the D-Line room, Tapp figured out which type of music each of his players enjoyed so he could blare certain artists as they walked into his meeting room. Efe Obada, a Nigerian native profiled here, loves a genre called “Afrobeats.” A few others like the rapper Future. Others are into gospel. Each day, Tapp switches it up.

Quinn’s edict initially took veteran coaches by surprise. It was strange to not jump right into Install No. 1. Lynn remembers telling himself, I hope this pays off. (“It is paying off,” he later said. “We measure everything.”)

The defensive coordinator around here, Joe Whitt Jr, calls Quinn the single-most caring person he knows. If the coach asks “How’s your day going?” he sincerely means it. Back on his Falcons staff in 2020, Whitt couldn’t believe what he was seeing day-to-day up close. Whitt also pans a magnifying glass over Phase 1 as the defining moment for these Commanders. The defensive backs congregated for sessions pass-game coordinator Jason Simmons called “My Story.” Everyone sent in pictures of themselves and then — one by one, in front of the room — each player shared their life story.

Players were allowed to talk as long as they wanted. Several were extremely vulnerable. Several shed tears. It took a full week for all DBs to speak. Teammates forged a true brotherhood over shared trauma. The exercise was so powerful that Whitt decided right then to conduct the same “My Story” session with his entire team if he gets the opportunity to be a head coach.


All of this directly translates to the field.

When things go haywire, the coordinator never sees players from either side of the ball pointing fingers.

[Warhead36]

I got a promotion at my work myself and I'm in more of a management position and am taking on the Dan Quinn style and its amazing how far you can get by just...treating people well and caring about them.