Adam Peters has been on the job for almost 16 months as general manager of the Washington Commanders. No other NFL GM has been more impressive in this timeframe than Peters.

Peters inherited a bad roster, which had received virtually nothing from the previous four NFL draft classes. He and head coach Dan Quinn went to work in free agency, signing numerous one-year deals, many with players with whom Peters or one of the coaches had a previous relationship. Peters then turned his attention to the 2024 NFL draft, using the No. 2 overall pick on quarterback Jayden Daniels and eight more players.

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The 2024 season could not have gone any better. The Commanders went 12-5 and made their first NFC championship game since the 1991 season. It was Washington’s best season in 33 years.

This offseason, Peters had his work cut out for him, as he still tried to build a roster without several players on rookie contracts. He used draft capital to acquire cornerback Marshon Lattimore, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

It left him with only five picks in the 2025 NFL draft, but Peters used those selections to fill positions of need or strengthen other spots. Remarkably, since taking over in January 2024, Peters has aggressively attacked the premium positions. Quarterback, offensive tackle, cornerback and pass rusher are considered premium positions. You can also add wide receiver to that list.

Peters found Washington’s quarterback of the future; he’s added three offensive tackles (Tunsil, Brandon Coleman and Josh Conerly Jr.), rebuilt the cornerback room and traded for a wide receiver (Samuel) to pair with Terry McLaurin, and drafted two other wideouts (Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane).

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Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated took notice of Peters’ impressive work.

One thing I’m pretty impressed with is how Washington GM Adam Peters has stocked premium positions over his 15 months in charge. He’s added Deebo Samuel to Terry McLaurin at receiver. He has Laremy Tunsil and first-round pick Josh Conerly Jr. to play tackle. He’s landed Marshon Lattimore, Mike Sainristil and second-rounder Trey Amos at corner. And, of course, Jayden Daniels at quarterback. His next job, over the next year or two, will be to find long-term edge rushers. But this is a lot of work done in one year.

Peters hasn’t received enough attention for his work. And he’s done it with limited resources. Imagine if Ron Rivera had hit on at least two of his four first-round choices. Unfortunately, he missed on all four. That hurts. From the 2021 class, two players remain, as guard Sam Cosmi and tight end John Bates were signed to multi-year extensions. The rest of that class is gone. All of the 2020 class is long gone. In 2022, the Commanders drafted wide receiver Jahan Dotson. Peters saw enough in training camp to trade Dotson to the Eagles, fleecing them, receiving a third-round pick that Peters used to acquire Lattimore.

In 2023, Washington used a first-round pick on cornerback Emmanuel Forbes. He was gone before the end of the 2024 season.

Peters has used free agency, the NFL draft and the trade market to build around Daniels, and the Commanders should be formidable for years to come. It’s safe to say Washington is in good hands with Adam Peters.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders GM Adam Peters has attacked the premium positions