Out of necessity, the Washington Commanders had rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil play out of position in 2024, putting him at one of the outside spots opposite veteran Pro Bowler Marshon Lattimore.
That experiment, however brief, provided great dividends in a playoff run that saw the Commanders not only advance to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991 but saw Sainristil grab 2 interceptions in a stunning upset of the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions in the NFC Divisional Round.
Now imagine what Sainristil will be able to do when he goes back to his natural position of slot cornerback? It’s an enticing proposition that Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski can now happen thanks to a deft pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft, where the Commanders selected Ole Miss cornerback Trey Amos with the No. 61 overall pick, calling the selection one of the “Best Value” moves of the entire draft.
“This year’s 61st overall draft pick is a physical 6’1″, 195-pound man-press corner who can immediately slot into the starting lineup,” Sobleski wrote. “Plenty of buzz existed prior to the draft that identified Amos as a late first-round possibility. Obviously, that scenario didn’t come to fruition. But the Commanders should be thrilled he was still on the board during the latter portion of the second frame because he fits nicely opposite Marshon Lattimore.”
Amos Made 2 Trips to Transfer Portal
Like so many of the draft picks in recent years, Amos had a college football experience totally unique to the NIL era, transferring twice and playing for 3 teams in 5 seasons.
Amos, a Louisiana native, started his college career with 3 seasons outside of the Power Four at the University of Louisiana before spending one season at Alabama in 2023 and spending his final season at Ole Miss, where he was an All-SEC selection with 50 tackles, 13 pass deflections, 4 tackles for loss and 3 interceptions.
Amos only solidified his draft stock at the NFL scouting combine, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds. One thing he also has that NFL teams value is experience as he played in a whopping 61 games over those 5 seasons.
“Long press cornerback who proved he could make the jump from the Sun Belt to the SEC without a hitch,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “Amos can disrupt the release and plays with good short-area movement in man coverage … Amos needs to ramp up his run support and trust his eyes in space, but he has the goods to become a solid starting outside corner.”
Where the Commanders Currently Sit at Cornerback
If you’re wondering where the Commanders sit at cornerback following the draft and free agency … the answer might be something along the lines of “SNEAKY GOOD, YO!”
Not only do they have Lattimore and Sainristil back and add Amos to the mix, they also return Noah Igbinoghene, who started 10 games in 2024, and signed free agent Jonathan Jones to a 1-year, $5 million contract on March 12.
Jones is a 2-time Super Bowl champion who spent the first 9 seasons of his career with the New England Patriots.
