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Daily Slop – 16 Apr 25 – Bullock goes deep on Josh Conerly Jr film study and joins Al Galdi to discuss the draft

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NFL Draft Profile: OT Josh Conerly Jr.

So what would Conerly bring to Washington if the Commanders were to draft him? He’s a big, athletic lineman measuring in at 6-foot-5, 311 pounds with 33½-inch arms. Some believe he’ll convert to guard in the NFL but I personally don’t agree with that idea. I think he has the foot quickness and length to play outside and his weaknesses would just be more exposed at guard. His athleticism and foot quickness do stand out when watching him, he’s an easy, fluid mover which enables him to react to speed and redirect when needed.

His footwork impressed me the more I watched him. He showed a variety of different sets, from a vertical set like we just saw, to quick sets and even more.

Here we see one of those variety sets. At the snap, Conerly takes his first kick step backwards as normal. However, this is just to disguise his true intention. After that first step backwards, Conerly suddenly drives forward towards the defender. It’s a surprise quick set. Typically a quick set sees the tackle step forward towards the defender straight off the snap, but Conerly shows a more advanced version here. The step back makes the defender believe it’s a normal set before suddenly surprising him with it. It’s a very nice set to have as a change up to mess with the timing of pass rushers. You can see the impact it has on this play too. He locks up the rusher quickly, who wasn’t expecting Conerly to suddenly jump towards him. The rusher tries to disengage and work inside, but Conerly stays locked on and ends up driving the defender to the ground with a strong finish.

So the feet are a big plus for Conerly, which to me says he can live at tackle at the next level. The two reasons why college tackles often have to transition to guard in the NFL is because they lack foot quickness or arm length. Conerly has the feet, so that’s not an issue. His arms are half an inch under the 34-inch threshold that most NFL teams look for, per his combine measurement, but the combine arm length measurements seem to have been consistently off this year. At his pro day, his arms reportedly measured in at 34¼ inches, above that threshold. It’s all very marginal stuff and when you watch Conerly, the length doesn’t show up as a huge issue. In fact, his hand fighting looks pretty good overall.

Commanders Wire

6 realistic targets for the Commanders at No. 29

Washington enters the draft with several needs. Will the Commanders select an edge rusher, running back, wide receiver, cornerback, or another position? Last year, it was a no-brainer for Washington. Once quarterback Caleb Williams went off the clock at No. 1, the Commanders quickly turned in their card for Jayden Daniels and the rest is history.

It’s not that simple this time around. Of course, after winning 12 games and making it to the NFC championship game, Washington is in a much better position this year.

We look at six realistic targets for the Commanders at No. 29 overall.

Hogs Haven

What Does Wes Welker Bring to Washington?

He spent the last three years coaching the explosive tandem of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who have managed to put up monster numbers in Miami. In 2023, Hill publicly lauded Welker for his motivational style:

“He’s grilling [me] every day,” Hill said. “I hate it, but it’s like bro — I need that to get better. Sometimes I can get set in my ways about just who I am. I’m like, ‘I made this Pro Bowl and I’m an All-Pro — I don’t need this bro’… I could just go out and play.

“When you got that coach who’s like, ‘I’m not gonna let you settle bro, I want you to get better every single day because this wasn’t who you were when you first came in the league.’”

Even so, Welker was fired by Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel in January:

“I also want to thank Wes for his investment here. This was not a decision I came to lightly, but as I have evaluated the season and areas where we must improve, I believe that change is needed and am motivated to do what is best for the team as we move forward.”

Welker’s firing seemed to come as quite a surprise to many in the fanbase who wondered if perhaps he wasn’t being scapegoated for an offense that underperformed, at least in part due to Tua Tagavaloa’s injuries last season.

Welker’s time in New England did overlap with Adam Peters stint there, during the 2007-2008 time period. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him play an important role in the 2025 draft, where the potential of Washington adding another wide receiver into the mix seems fairly high, and having a talent evaluator with his experience could be an asset.

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Jacob Martin’s “WILL to Win is BIGGER than Yours” | Next Man Up | Washington Commanders | NFL

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