Commanders use NFL draft to quietly build around franchise QB Jayden Daniels
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Jayden Daniels in the NFL draft got an offensive lineman to protect him for the foreseeable future and a receiver prospect to complement Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel, and the Washington Commanders should be better on defense after upgrading their secondary.
Not exactly Christmas in April, but for a team fresh off a trip to the NFC championship game that found its franchise quarterback in Daniels and made trade splashes for Samuel and left tackle Laremy Tunsil, it was exactly the kind of quiet stockpiling of talent general manager Adam Peters could have hoped for going in with just five picks at his disposal.
Washington took Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. later in the first round and Ole Miss cornerback Trey Amos in the second at No. 61. Amos was under consideration at No. 29, too.
'I didn't think Conerly was going to be there when we picked, and I certainly didn't think Amos was going to be there when we picked,' Peters said. 'We feel like we got two players that were first-round quality, so we're thrilled and I think the board fell to us pretty well.'
Add fourth-round receiver Jaylin Lane out of Virginia Tech, sixth-round linebacker Kain Medrano out of UCLA and seventh-round running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt out of Arizona, and the Commanders can feel good about their offseason.
Conerly flex
There is no obvious place for Conerly to play, with left and right guard and right tackle all possible. Maybe he's the swing tackle in his rookie year.
But the Commanders value how well Conerly played against Penn State's Abdul Carter, who went to the NFC East Division-rival New York Giants with the third pick, along with Ohio State's pass rushers and other elite competition.
'He's not going to freak out,' Peters said. 'He's not going to panic. He's not going to do things that he doesn't normally do when he is face to face with a really great player.'
The 21-year-old from Seattle said he's willing to play whatever position he's asked. He already has a fan in offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who suggested to Peters that Conerly should be the choice.
With family members sitting a few feet away at his introductory news conference, Conerly described himself as reserved and chill until a play begins.
'Once the ball is snapped, it's a totally different thing,' Conerly said. 'I feel like you have to approach the line very cool, calm and collected, clear-headed so once that ball is snapped you're just going.'
How Amos fits
Peters and coach Dan Quinn have transformed the cornerback position over the past year. Trade deadline pickup Marshon Lattimore and Amos figure to start outside, allowing 2024 second-round pick Mike Sanristil to play inside to his strengths with Jonathan Jones and Noah Igbinoghene around as veteran depth.
'All that's fluid, and we're going to get the guys who we think are the best on the field,' Peters said. 'There's no sacred cows on this team, so the best guys, whether it's two or three or even four, are going to play.'
At 6-foot-1 and nearly 200 pounds, Amos is better sized for the professional game than Emmanuel Forbes, taken in the first round in 2023 by the previous regime and cut last season by this one. Amos had three interceptions and 50 tackles at Mississippi after three years at Louisiana Tech and one at Alabama.
'I feel like the whole defense is (predicated) on being aggressive, and I could bring more to that table,' Amos said.
No trading down
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Sending a handful of current and future picks to Houston for Tunsil and a fifth-rounder to San Francisco for Samuel seemed to set the stage for the Commanders to trade down once or twice to expand their rookie class.
Peters received plenty of calls at Nos. 29 and 61, but opted to stand pat and take Conerly and Amos because of how highly he and his staff rated those players.
'If those guys were gone, then we would've traded back,' Peters said. 'In the end, the options we had weren't worth the risk.'
___
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