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Any Commanders seven-round mock draft must start with an acknowledgment that Washington has already been busy with its draft picks, with general manager Adam Peters quickly showing himself to be an active trader.
Washington sent a third-round pick to Houston as part of a package to get tackle Laremy Tunsil and sent a fifth to San Francisco for receiver Deebo Samuel, and this was after sending third-, fourth- and sixth-round picks to New Orleans for cornerback Marshon Lattimore at last year’s trade deadline. Other picks have come and gone in other deals, but the net result is three new starters at key positions without touching Washington’s top two picks in this draft.
It’s remarkable how far the Commanders have come in a year — from 4-13 and picking second in the 2024 draft to selecting quarterback Jayden Daniels, going 12-5 and winning two playoff games. Only six teams have better odds to win Super Bowl LX, so this draft is about addressing needs on a team that doesn’t have a ton of glaring ones.
First round, 29th overall: edge Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College
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Edge is at the intersection of Washington’s positional needs and the best depth at the top of this draft, which is to say the Commanders could get the sixth or seventh edge off the board and still land an impact rookie. Losing Dante Fowler to the Cowboys in free agency created an immediate need, but this is also a position at which Washington has very little developmental talent.
Will Ezeiruaku — it looks daunting, but is pronounced “ezz-AH-rah-koo” — still be there at No. 29? We’ll say yes, but this could be Tennessee‘s James Pearce Jr. or Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton. Ezeiruaku exploded with 16.5 sacks last season, and he has a ridiculous 82-inch wingspan, which helps offset an unusually short frame at 6-foot-2. If he’s the seventh edge taken in the first round, that would be one short of the most in the past decade, as there were eight in 2017.
Second round, 61st overall: CB Darien Porter, Iowa State
Is second-year pro Mike Sainristil better off on the outside or at nickel? Either way, the Commanders could use some size on the outside opposite Lattimore, and the 6-foot-3 Porter fits that bill nicely. He’s a converted receiver with limited starting experience on defense, so it would be OK if Porter didn’t have to be an immediate every-down corner. He’ll bring value on special teams as well, with four blocked punts and a blocked field goal in college. Plus, he ran a 4.30 40 at the combine.
Fourth round, 128th overall: T Cameron Williams, Texas
Adding Tunsil should allow the Commanders to shift last year’s third-rounder, Brandon Coleman, to right tackle, which gives them an opening for a developmental swing tackle. Williams is dangerously raw, with only one year of starting experience, but his size (6-foot-6, 317 pounds) and long reach will give coaches a lot to work with physically. You’re rarely going to find an impact starter late in the fourth round, but this is good value and someone who could compete with Coleman for a starting job a year from now.
Sixth round, 205th overall: LB Jay Higgins, Iowa
Washington used two late-round picks last year on linebackers Jordan Magee and Dominique Hampton, so there’s some redundancy here, but Bobby Wagner turns 35 in June, so it’s OK to have multiple options for after he’s done. Higgins is a production over measurables guy. He ran a 4.82 40 at the combine and his frame is closer to that of an NFL safety, but he had 171 tackles as a junior to lead the nation and four interceptions as a senior, so there are coverage skills to offset the speed issues. If all a sixth-round pick does is make an impact on special teams, Higgins can fill that part of it as well.
Seventh round, 245th overall: RB Marcus Yarns, Delaware
A little local flavor here — Yarns played at Delaware and is from Maryland, and he can help Washington as a versatile backup at running back. He’s smaller (5-foot-11, 193) but ran a 4.45 40 and averaged better than six yards per carry in each of his last three college seasons, with 11 receiving touchdowns as well. Can success at small-school Delaware translate to the NFL? If only as a complementary back who could help on returns, Yarns does enough things to have a good chance to stick on the roster as a seventh-rounder.
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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