Survey results!!
Adam Peters is clearly doing things his way
As many people have already noted, two Adam Peters drafts have made it clear that the Commanders believe in their pre-draft evaluations and trust their board when it’s time to make draft selections; the GM does not chase players to address roster needs in the way that mock drafters tend to do.
That philosophy requires strategic coordination of player acquisition in free agency and the draft.
The free agent period of late March and early April is used to build depth at every position group and make sure that a solid floor is built for the season ahead.
That allows the front office to focus on drafting the best player available with each selection, or to trade down if there is greater value available. This philosophy places high priority on the long term value of adding the most talented player possible with each draft pick, even if the selection doesn’t address some immediate roster needs.
Any thin spots in the roster that remain after the draft can be addressed by dipping back into the veteran free agency market in May and continuing to explore other options — UDFAs, trades, waiver wire pickups — in order to constantly work to upgrade the roster.
One look at the current Washington roster in comparison to the one that Peters inherited 17 months ago should validate the power of this roster construction philosophy and lead Commanders fans to salivate about where the team’s roster will likely be after a couple more years of implementing this approach.
The Mock Draft industry
Prior to this week’s draft, bettors and mock drafters identified that the Commanders biggest roster need was at edge rusher. There was a strong expectation that, no matter what, Adam Peters would find a way to address that need in the draft.
He did not.
Instead, he selected OT Josh Conerly out of Oregon with the 29th pick in the draft, and Peters did not use any of the team’s other four draft picks on an edge rusher this past weekend.
With the focus that the mock drafting industry has on filling roster holes with draft picks, the Adam Peters approach is often panned by critics who value drafting for need over prioritizing player skill and potential upside regardless of position. Consider these comments written in the immediate aftermath of the first round on Thursday night:
Conerly was a fine value at this spot, but so was Josh Simmons (whom the Chiefs selected at No. 31). The Commanders had more pressing needs to address, and they have just four picks over the next two days.
Considering the Commanders’ glaring needs on defense and the abundance of options on the board, they get a [bad] grade (D) for this pick.
Hogs Haven members understand what AP is doing
Hogs Haven members have much greater appreciation for what Adam Peters is doing, and a much more nuanced understanding of the Commanders roster.
For instance, although there was a general consensus that Washington would not draft a quarterback because it would be difficult to upgrade from Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota, that idea did not hold for any other position group ahead of the draft. For example, the offensive line with either Brandon Coleman or Andrew Wylie at right tackle opposite Laremy Tunsil and an injured Sam Cosmi was not so “set” that it precluded drafting another tackle or guard despite some of the draft ‘gurus’ suggesting that the Commanders first round pick needed to be spent on a defensive player.
That edge defenders Donovan Ezeiruaku and Nic Scourton were among the available options at No. 29 will be something to monitor, especially if Washington continues to struggle in run defense or faces issues with pass rush consistency.
Adam Peters had different ideas. Look at what he said about the Josh Conerly selection after the first round on Thursday night:
He was the highest player on our board. It wasn’t really so much we needed to get an O-Lineman or anything like that, but he was clearly the highest player on our board.
We had discussed beforehand [that] if he was on the board, we weren’t gonna trade back. There was an opportunity to trade back with a few other teams and [it] wasn’t very far, but in our minds, it was not worth even risking missing on him.
We were holding our breath for a while thinking he might go ahead of us. We were thrilled when he was there [at the 29th pick]. It was an easy pick for us to make and we’re really, really pumped.
Asked about the perceived need to add an edge rusher, Peters said that if the highest rated player on the board at the time of the pick had been a defensive player, then the Commanders would have drafted the defensive player.
Both he and Assistant GM Lance Newmark stressed repeatedly this weekend that the Commanders followed their board and picked players that they believe will make the team better in 2025 and beyond.
This week’s Reacts survey results
When we asked Hogs Haven readers to grade the first round selection of Conerly, it was clear that the respondents were buying into the message coming from Peters and Newmark.
Eighty-nine percent of respondents graded the pick an “A” or “B”, and only 3% graded the selection of Conerly below a “C”.
Consider the comments of those who graded the pick highly:
It’s clear that a lot of Hogs Haven readers see a lot of value in the Conerly pick.
Of course nothing is unanimous.
What about that glaring roster need at edge rusher?
It is clear that the most glaring position of weakness prior to the draft remains the most glaring position of weakness today. The Commanders raised the floor on most of the roster this offseason, but appear to have taken a step back at the defensive end position.
That doesn’t mean that nothing can be done. Washington can, for example, revisit the veteran free agent market to bolster the position group.
There may also be opportunities to trade for an impact player ahead of training camp.
And, if nothing gets done before camp, there may still be an opportunity when teams cut down to 53 players. Last year, when Washington was 2nd on the waiver wire, Adam Peters was able to claim WR Noah Brown when he was released by the Texans. That may be a bit tougher sitting at #29, but the front office will almost certainly be exploring all possibilities.
Things look bright in 2025 and beyond
The really great news is that the five drafted players that will be attending rookie minicamp next week offer a range of skills and a lot of valuable potential:
- Round 1 – #29 – Josh Conerly Jr, OT, Oregon
- Round 2 – #61 – Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss
- Round 4 (via HOU) – #128 – Jaylin Lane, WR, Virginia Tech
- Round 6 – #205 – Kain Medrano, LB, UCLA
- Round 7 (from DEN via PHI) – #245 – Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Arizona
Each of them clearly offers immediate value and long term upside to the Commanders roster. Washington has taken another giant step to build around Jayden Daniels and build upon the foundation of success that was established last season.
It’s a great time to be a Washington fan!!
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