Ranking Commanders’ undrafted free agents: Can a former 5-star recruit crack the 53?

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Undrafted free agents have cracked the 53-man roster in these parts before.

The Washington Commanders open their three-day 2025 rookie minicamp on Friday, with first-round offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. and four other draft picks receiving their first reps with their new team. Alongside will be 10 undrafted free agents set to stick around for training camp. After that, we’ll see.

Any UDFA faces steep odds of making the Week 1 roster. Wide receiver Cam Sims and cornerback Danny Johnson turned their long-shot dreams into several seasons in the NFL. Impressive summers for two active players, tight end Colson Yankoff and safety Tyler Owens, paid off last year. With The Athletic insider Dane Brugler’s exhaustive draft guide, here’s a look at this year’s hopefuls in ranking order and possible fits with Washington. Guaranteed money figures were included when possible.

This group does not include rookie camp invitees, though one participant is a headliner this weekend. Rice safety Gabe Taylor, younger brother of the late Sean Taylor, will be in Ashburn, Va. The 5-foot-9 Taylor, Brugler’s 84th-ranked safety, had at least 56 tackles in his last four seasons and 10 career interceptions.

Also not included are edge defenders. The Commanders neither drafted nor signed one. On Saturday, local media will see Conerly, second-round pick Trey Amos, Taylor and the other participants in person.

1. Ja’Corey Brooks, WR, Louisville

Brugler’s ranking: WR36

Details: He’s 6-foot-2, 188 pounds with a 4.65 40 time. He turns 24 in October. Brooks was a first-team All-ACC selection last season, with 61 receptions for 1,013 yards and nine touchdowns, and he played primarily on the outside with some work from the slot.

The five-star recruit had one blocked punt in all three seasons with Alabama, but thoughts of a breakout junior year were dashed after suffering a labrum tear. Brooks has experience returning kicks and punts and was one of two players listed here to receive a detailed write-up in Brugler’s draft preview.

“A tall, lean target, Brooks eats up ground quickly to beat press, stack corners and use vertical pacing to track the ball and create late separation,” Brugler wrote. “He does a nice job battling for jump-ball positioning but also fights the ball at times — he needs to improve his finishing focus to earn the trust of his coaches at the next level. Overall, Brooks’ lack of short-area agility and pacing allows man coverage to stay attached to him on short and intermediate routes, but his play strength, tracking skills and catch radius could make him a potential WR4/5.”

Potential fit: Washington has five receivers seemingly on roster lock, including fourth-round speedster Jaylin Lane, plus veterans Michael Gallup and K.J. Osborn. Special teams work is Brooks’ best path to sneaking onto the Week 1 roster, but the size, raw talent and vertical playmaking will make him a fun summer watch regardless. Having offensive assistant David Blough on the staff perhaps helps ease Brooks’ transition.

2. Car’lin Vigers, DB, Louisiana Monroe

Brugler’s ranking: CB61

Details: Vigers is 6-foot-1, 205 pounds and runs a 4.52 in the 40. His press corner ability meshes with the Commanders’ style. Vigers, who returned his lone 2024 interception for a touchdown, received $259,000 guaranteed from Washington. He finished his three-year career with 131 tackles and two interceptions.

Potential fit: Washington’s projected top five rotation seems set, minus the unforeseen, with special teams contributor Kevon Seymour holding the sixth spot. Taking fliers on cornerbacks with Vigers’ measurables and experience is always a worthy gamble. Mike Sainristil and Amos are the best bets to remain beyond 2025. Marshon Lattimore’s contract continues through 2026 unless the two sides agree on an extension. Vigers has the size and experience to make for a worthy camp flier and potential practice squad member.

3. Tim McKay, OL, NC State

Brugler’s ranking: OG27

Details: McKay is 6-foot-4, 311 pounds. He was a three-year starter for the Wolfpack. McKay did not allow a sack in 2023 or a quarterback hit in 2024. He increased his chances of getting drafted following a selection to the all-practice team at the East-West Shrine Bowl, but he subsequently tore his pectoral at NC State’s pro day. McKay received a $275,000 signing bonus.

Potential fit: Injured reserve stash candidate? It seems plausible and, therefore, a potentially interesting investment. Washington has the short term covered with several veteran offensive guard options, even before tackles Brandon Coleman and Andrew Wylie potentially shift inside.

4. Fentrell Cypress II, CB, Florida State

Brugler’s ranking: CB34

Details: He’s 6-foot-1, 182 pounds with a 4.43 40 time. He was a first-team All-ACC selection with Virginia in 2022. One career interception over six seasons, but 12 passes defended in 23 starts with the Seminoles. He received $145,000 guaranteed from the Commanders.

“Cypress is a height-length-speed prospect with the athleticism in space to mirror, float and maintain relationships between multiple routes,” wrote Brugler. “He drives on passes well in zone coverage to get his hands on the football without making early contact (zero penalties at Florida State), although his low interception number is discouraging. He’s too much of a ‘catch’ tackler, but he gets his guy on the ground. Overall, Cypress hasn’t put consistency on tape, but when you grade to the flashes and trust his testing numbers, you can understand why a team could think there might be something there.”

Potential fit: That Vigers garnered a higher guarantee between the two cornerbacks suggests Washington has a different rank order than Brugler. Regardless, both players have intriguing measurables for a long summer look at a practice squad spot.

5. Trey Rucker, S, Oklahoma State

Brugler’s ranking: S36

Details: Rucker is 5-foot-11, 203 pounds with a 36-inch vertical jump. He was raised in the Washington, D.C., area and attended Flint Hill in Oakton, Va. Rucker transferred to Oklahoma State in 2021 after two seasons at Wake Forest and finished with 184 tackles and three interceptions in his final two seasons in the Big 12.

We have signed 10 undrafted free agents pic.twitter.com/IMw5TFx4oy

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) May 8, 2025

6. Robert McDaniel, S, Jackson State

Brugler’s ranking: S69

Details: McDaniel has impressive size at 6-foot-2, 211 pounds. He has a 4.55 40 speed. He entered 2024 on the Senior Bowl watch list and finished with three interceptions last season.

Potential fit: UDFA safeties can look at this position room for optimism since Owens went from being undrafted to making the roster. An athletic freak, Owens contributed on special teams as a rookie. The staff hopes he can turn his raw ability into a rotational defensive piece. The yes-no to that possible transformation may determine if any new safety option sticks besides free-agent addition and Jeremy Chinn replacement, Will Harris.

7. Kam Arnold, LB, Boston College

Brugler’s ranking: LB85

Details: This 6-foot-1, 228-pound hybrid linebacker played extensively over his final four seasons with the Eagles. However, a season-ending injury midway through the 2024 campaign ended a potential breakout year. The former safety finished with 40 tackles and an interception in seven games.

8. Ale Kaho, LB, UCLA

Brugler’s ranking: LB49

Details: The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Kaho played sparingly during separate three-year stints at Alabama and UCLA, where he played with linebacker Kain Medrano, Washington’s sixth-round pick, and was coached by Commanders linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. He had a career-high 32 tackles and six tackles for loss in 2021. Kaho was part of the Crimson Tide’s 2020 national championship team.

Potential fit: Medrano and Dominique Hampton, a fifth-round pick last year, will battle for a possible roster spot and rotation replacement for the exiting Mykal Walker, Washington’s lone 2024 linebacker who is not returning. If both make the roster, the practice squad would lack an obvious linebacker candidate.

9. Ricky Barber, DT, UCF

Brugler’s ranking: DT52

Details: Barber is 6-foot-1, 295 pounds. He spent his first two seasons at Western Kentucky. He had three tackles for loss in games against BYU and Arizona last season, but Barber’s hand size (8 3/4) is relatively small for an interior lineman.

Potential fit: The 2025 defensive tackle room is jammed after signing outside free agents Javon Kinlaw and Eddie Goldman, along with reserve Sheldon Day to join starters Daron Payne and Johnny Newton. Kinlaw and Newton are the safe bets for the 2026 roster.

10. Jacoby Jones, WR, UCF

Brugler’s ranking: WR214

Details: Jones is 6-foot-1, 225 pounds and ran a 4.68 in the 40. The Ohio University transfer finished with 75 receptions and eight touchdowns over three seasons.

Potential fit: Jones averaged 16.7 yards per catch. Coaches love a good project. Last year’s examples, Brycen Tremayne and Mitchell Tinsley, signed elsewhere following the season.

(Photo of Ja’Corey Brooks: Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA Today) 

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