Washington Draft 2025: Instant Thoughts and Reaction
April 28, 2025
by Steve Thomas
First, according to The Athletic’s Ben Standig, Washington has signed the following undrafted free agents:
- OL Tim McKay, North Carolina St.
- DT Ricky Barber, University of Central Florida
- CB Fentrell, Cypress, Florida St.
- S Trey Rucker, Oklahoma St.
- S Robert McDaniel
In addition, Standig reported that Virginia Tech quarterback Collin Schlee will attend Washington’s rookie mini-camp; however, Virginia Tech Football’s X account, @HOkiesFB, posted that Schlee has actually signed with Washington.
Finally, as reported by several sources, including ESPN’s John Keim, Lake Lewis, and others, Gabe Taylor, the younger brother of Redskins legend Sean Taylor, will attend Washington’s rookie mini-camp. I think I speak for everyone in saying that this is wonderful news, and that the fanbase is rooting for him to get signed and make the team.
Now, in terms of Washington’s draft, I have thoughts. To start with, it’s not fair to evaluate the team’s results without taking into consideration the trades for Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel. Washington got Tunsil and a fourth round pick in exchange for a third and seventh round pick in 2025, a second and fourth round pick in 2026. The fourth round pick Washington received ended up turning into wide receiver Jaylin Lane. Washington acquired Samuel in exchange for Washington’s fifth round pick. I’m not going to go into a detailed analysis of these moves here, except to say that getting Tunsil and Samuel on the roster were both very good trades at their respective costs.
Round 1, pick 29: Tackle Josh Conerly, Jr.
I can’t adequately express the levels of my love and appreciation for this pick. Washington went from having average to below average tackles in 2024 to having a tandem in Laremy Tunsil and Conerly that has as much potential as any in the league. I realize that Washington general manager Adam Peters said that Conerly would have to compete for a starting spot, and could also end up at guard. At the end of the day, though, Conerly seems to me to more of a tackle and has more potential at right tackle than both Andrew Wylie and Brandon Coleman. Fans can likely look forward to the Tunsil – Conerly combo for years to come. This is a dramatic improvement for Jayden Daniels’ protection.
Steve’s all too soon, meaningless grade: A+
Round 2, pick 29: Corner Trey Amos
First and most importantly, Adam Peters appears to have scored Amos much higher than the end of round 2. If we trust Peters – and in large part, he’s earned it – we should accept this pick. The team’s corner back group was a need going into the draft. Washington’s trade for Marshon Lattimore was supposed to bring in an elite, #1 outside corner. Unfortunately, Lattimore was injured for much of the year and never lived up to expectations. I’m not confident that he’s ever going to be what the team hoped for when they acquired him. Last year’s second round pick, Mike Sanristil, exceeded expectations but is probably best suited as a slot corner. The result was that the team needed to bring someone else in as an outside corner. This is a role for which Amos is well suited – at 6’1”, his size lends itself to the outside, and that’s what most scouts think will be his highest and best use. I’m not sure I agree that Amos wasn’t actually drafted in the proper spot, rather than being a steal, but there’s no doubt that he has the potential to develop into a quality starter on the outside and potentially move into the #1 role if Lattimore fails.
Steve’s all too soon, meaningless grade: B+
Round 4, pick 26: Wide receiver Jaylin Lane
Washington didn’t particularly need to use a pick on a receiver at the top of the draft who would be expected to start, but at a fourth round level, all Lane needs to do in order to be a successful draft pick is to make a meaningful long-term contribution to the team. I think he’s too short and small to develop into a starting-quality outside receiver, but he’s fast even by receiver standards and might be a perfect slot receiver. Lane could potentially be the replacement for Dyami Brown. More importantly, Lane was an outstanding punt returner in college, and that’s an area at which Washington has been lacking for awhile. If Lane could become a plus-level punt returner, he’d be a worthwhile fourth round pick for that reason alone. Many draft analysts had Lane rated at a fourth round value, and I think that was probably the right spot for him. Lane was a decent choice in this spot.
Steve’s all too soon, meaningless grade: A-
Round 6, pick 29: LB Kain Medrano
Washington needs linebackers. Currently, they have two who are plus-level players in Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu, and then one promising second year player, Jordan Magee, but that isn’t enough for a decent linebacker room. Medrano was the fastest linebacker at the Combine, which bodes well for him. At 6’3”, he has good height, but he’s a bit undersized for that height and probably isn’t suited for a middle linebacker role. That’s okay, though, because many analysts thought of Medrano as a hybrid linebacker / safety anyway. More importantly, the team needs some outside linebacker candidates. Considering the current state of this position group, he has a pretty decent shot at making the active roster, which is all that is reasonable to expect from a sixth round pick. The bottom line is that outside linebacker is a position of a need for the team, and Medrano is an athletic guy with potential. That makes this another decent late-round pick.
Steve’s all too soon, meaningless grade: B
Round 7, pick 29: RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt
Running back was a huge need for the team, and honestly, while the front office made some solid picks, it’s a bit disappointing that they were unable to address the position earlier with a player who could step right into a potential starting role. None of that matters in terms of Croskey-Merritt’s potential, though. He is a pretty large risk since he sat out nearly the entire 2024 season at Arizona due to his eligibility problems. For that reason, we don’t really have a real base of film and statistics with which to predict his NFL potential. Washington’s coaches do, of course, and we don’t have any reason not to trust that they know what they’re doing here. They clearly saw something in this player to make him worth a draft pick instead of a priority undrafted free agent signing. What that something could be is anyone’s guess. The main point is that Washington needed some competition and fresh blood in the running back room, and that’s Merritt. How that works out is anyone’s guess. We’ve seen stranger things in Washington than running backs coming out of nowhere to be good contributors. I’m fine with coaches taking a flyer on almost anyone at the very end of the draft, particularly at a position of need.
Steve’s all too soon, meaningless grade: C
In summary, none of these picks were either dumb or obvious reaches. In particular, drafting Conerly at the back of round 1 was an outstanding move. This is probably a “wait and see” draft more than some others, but that’s okay. Some of these picks won’t work out – that’s inevitable – but they potentially have several meaningful contributors. Also, as I said at the beginning, this draft can’t be probably valued without also counting the additions of Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel. Overall, I applaud another solid effort.