NFL Mock Draft: Commanders 3-round projection after NFCCG loss to Philly

It was a dream season for the Washington Commanders right up until it wasn't. The NFC Championship Game was ultimately too much against the rival Philadelphia Eagles as the porous run defense of Dan Quinn's team proved to be a fatal flaw with their opponents rushing for a record-tying seven touchdowns on conference championship Sunday and pushing the Commanders into the offseason with a crucial free agency and NFL Draft looming.

Obviously, it'd be hard to crush the NFL Draft quite as much as they did last offseason when they took Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick. Not only are they substantially farther down in the draft order after their phenomenal campaign but they also now have their franchise quarterback. Now it's time to build around him as this roster was never supposed to take Washington as far as it did in Daniels' first season.

That's a good problem to have but, at the same time, the Commanders have some pretty clear areas to focus on when it comes to this offseason. Free agency could go a long way in determining how Washington addresses needs at wide receiver, offensive tackle and so on but, as things stand now, this three-round mock draft projection would be a massive win for Washington's future and Daniels.

Round 1, Pick 29: OT Josh Conerly Jr. (Oregon)

It felt like the mobility of Jayden Daniels and how dangerous he is with his legs both as a runner and maneuvering in the backfield often masked a pretty mediocre Commanders offensive line. After all, they were starting third-round rookie Brandon Coleman and veteran Andrew Wylie at tackle for the much of the season. But now especially with guard/tackle Sam Cosmi likely out for much of the 2025 season after suffering a torn ACL in the playoffs, the need for someone like Josh Conerly Jr. has never been greater.

Conerly has been a fast riser throughout the 2024 season at Oregon for good reason. He made tremendous strides in terms of using his anchor and strength to maximum efficacy throughout the year with the Ducks. When you combine that improvement with both his age (just 21 years old) and physical tools, he looks the part of someone ready to start in Washington on day one but who could develop into a special franchise left tackle.

With the high-end wide receiver group already coming off the board by the 29th pick — and my expectation that the Commanders make a splash there in free agency or in a trade — this is as good as Washington can do in this draft slot.

Round 2, Pick 61: EDGE Jared Ivey (Ole Miss)

One of the reasons that expectations in Washington were tepid coming into the season was the fact that the defense seemed to have a ton of holes that Dan Quinn addressed with familiar faces. It almost became a bit of him adding former Cowboys, which showed up most notably with Dante Fowler Jr. and Dorance Armstrong on the edge of the defensive line. Those are valuable depth pieces but the Commanders could use more in that area of Quinn's side of the ball.

Jared Ivey would be a phenomenal addition to that group. While he certainly benefitted from a stacked and deep Ole Miss defensive front this past year with the Rebels, his value to Washington was actually evident in the NFC title game. With a 280-pound frame, Ivey is a phenomenal run defender off the edge, which is certainly not the strength of this defense or of Fowler or Armstrong to this point.

What makes him more intriguing, though, is that he finally flashed pass-rush upside this past season in college with eight sacks to his credit and strong development of his pass-rush moves. With continued development in that department under Quinn, we could see him become a bonafide steal outside of the Top 60 picks in the 2025 draft.

Round 3, Pick 79 (via MIA): WR Tez Johnson (Oregon)

While I do fully expect the Commanders to make their biggest moves at receiver in free agency or the trade market, they could use the pick that came their way via the Miami Dolphins to add to the wide receiver corps. They were great in their roles but going into next season still relying on Olamide Zaccheus, Dyami Brown or even Jamison Crowder to the same degree would be a mistake for Washington.

Tez Johnson could be a force multiplier for this group and Jayden Daniels as well. For starters, there might not be a faster pass-catcher in the draft. While his production (82 receptions, 898 yards, 10 touchdowns) shows that, the film shows even more. His route tree could expand in the NFL but he's a weapons in underneath or even behind the line-of-scrimmage to get him touches in space, which could be huge in Kliff Kingsbury's offense.

Putting Johnson into the Zaccheus role moving forward would amplify what they're capable of doing offensively in Washington and make this Daniels-led offense even more dangerous moving forward.