Building around Jayden Daniels is the key to the Washington Commanders staying competitive after 2024’s Cinderella season, so breaking a decade-long trend and selecting offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft makes sense.
It’s an idea proposed by NFL.com’s Original Content Editor Dan Parr in his latest mock draft. Parr believes “if you’re going to protect Jayden Daniels from the ferocious pass rushers of the NFC East, you better invest in the offensive line.”
That’s a sound argument after division rivals the Philadelphia Eagles just won a Super Bowl dominating the Kansas City Chiefs with a deep and talented front four. Conerly can be the answer for the Commanders, who would use a “top pick on an O-lineman for the first time in a decade” by taking the Oregon tackle.
Commanders Should Buck Draft Trend to Help Jayden Daniels
The last time the Commanders used first-round capital on the O-line, Brandon Scherff was the fifth-overall pick in 2015. He soon converted from left tackle to right guard and became an All-Pro, but Conerly’s career path would be defined by keeping Daniels clean.
Washington’s franchise QB1 needs an able blindside protector. It’s a key role the Commanders cobbled together during Daniels’ rookie campaign.
A combination of veteran Cornelius Lucas and 2024 third-round draft pick Brandon Coleman manned the second-most important position on the team. While both had their moments, neither looked like a serious, long-term solution.
Free agency offers an All-Pro alternative, but if the $98 million price tag doesn’t work for Commanders’ general manager Adam Peters, he should turn to Conerly. The latter’s an athletic and physically imposing left tackle.
He’s a 6-foot-4, 305-pound pass-protector who’s “a loose, fluid mover with efficient footwork to his spot using angled or vertical sets with the redirect skills to mirror counter moves,” according to Bleacher Report’s Brandon Thorn.
Few prospects can match Conerly’s credentials as a pass-protector. He “allowed just TWO sacks his entire career” at Oregon, per PFF College.
Josh Conerly Jr allowed just TWO sacks his entire career👀
This is the kind of track record the Commanders need from the player most responsible for protecting their considerable investment in Daniels. Yet, the numbers may not assuage concerns about an obvious deficiency in Conerly’s skill-set.
Notably, there’s a lack of play strength. It showed up at this year’s Senior Bowl, when Conerly was flattened by highly-touted edge-rusher Mike Green on a rep highlighted by Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports.
Mike Green. SIR.
Conerly’s game isn’t without flaws, but the Commanders could feel confident about overcoming them, given their impressive track record drafting O-linemen.
Commanders Boast Impressive Draft Record Along the Offensive Line
Scherff isn’t the only lineman drafted by Washington who’s made good in the pros. The franchise chose Trent Williams fourth overall in 2010, and he became an 11-time Pro Bowler.
Williams proved a can’t-miss first-rounder, but the Commanders have also found success with later picks. Prospects like Morgan Moses, a durable and capable starter selected in the third round back in 2014.
The second round yielded Sam Cosmi in 2021. Cosmi has developed into a highly-paid linchpin at right guard.
Using some more draft magic to find a bookend left tackle for Daniels will give the Commanders two franchise staples at vital positions.
