Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters and the team\u2019s personnel staff began working through NFL Draft scenarios last week, one of the final stages of prep before the clock starts Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll run a lot of simulations, we\u2019ll run a lot of simulated trades,\u201d he said. \u201c\u2019If this happens, then what do we do? If this team calls, what do we do? What does that look like? Do we want to do that? Do we want to go back that far? Who\u2019s going to be there?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
In a year when there\u2019s so much information about the prospects but so little on what the teams ahead of them are planning to do, Peters wants the Commanders to be ready for any situation that arises, be it a potential trade offer or the difficult decision of taking either the draft\u2019s best safety or its best cornerback.<\/p>\n
I tried to run through them myself for my second<\/a> and final seven-round mock, using Pro Football Focus\u2019 mock draft simulator. I decided to stay at No. 7, as Peters indicated<\/a> the Commanders likely will, barring an offer they can\u2019t pass up.<\/p>\n The right call? Get back to me in a few years.<\/p>\n First round (No. 7): Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State<\/p>\n I do not envy Peters if Downs and cornerback Mansoor Delane are both still available at No. 7 (I\u2019m assuming Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles is long gone by then; otherwise, he would get the nod over both defensive backs). There\u2019s plenty of justification for taking Delane, in part because of his positional value, and there\u2019s no disputing his talent at corner, after becoming a unanimous all-American at LSU.<\/p>\n But I took Downs because he\u2019s a more complete talent.\u00a0 He\u2019s listed at only 6 feet, 206 pounds, but he plays much bigger and can line up virtually anywhere in the secondary; he was deep for nearly 35 percent of his defensive snaps at Ohio State last year, in the box for another 35 percent and in the slot for about 21 percent.<\/p>\n Downs\u2019 intellect is his forte. He has the awareness and knowledge to wear the green dot for Washington if needed. And he\u2019s a sure tackler who plays with exceptional toughness and speed \u2014 so much so that The Athletic\u2019s Dane Brugler described him as a \u201chuman missile\u201d in \u201cThe Beast\u201d draft guide<\/a>. Downs didn\u2019t allow a passing touchdown in two seasons and didn\u2019t miss a game in his three college seasons, including his one year at Alabama.<\/p>\n Third round (No. 71): Dani Dennis-Sutton, Edge, Penn State<\/p>\n Dennis-Sutton was a five-star recruit and the No. 1 recruit in Maryland out of McDonogh School, a private school in Owings Mills. He started playing football at age 5, but also grew up playing basketball \u2014 he played AAU ball for Kevin Durant\u2019s team in D.C. \u2014 and ran track in high school (11.61 seconds in the 100 meters).<\/p>\n His appeal is largely rooted in his size and athleticism. He\u2019s one of the tallest and longest edge rushers in this class, standing 6-foot-6 with a 256-pound frame and 82 1\/4-inch wingspan. He turned heads at the NFL combine when he ran a 4.63 40-yard dash and recorded measurements of 39.5 inches and 10 feet, 11 inches in the vertical and broad jumps, respectively.<\/p>\n Dennis-Sutton started two seasons as an outside edge rusher at Penn State, totaling 8.5 sacks in each. Last year, that was enough to lead the Nittany Lions in sacks (he also led Penn State in forced fumbles and tackles for losses). He led the Big Ten with 3.8 pressures per game last season and totaled three blocked punts on special teams.<\/p>\n His athleticism shows up regularly on tape, and he knows how to vary his attack as a pass rusher, but he doesn\u2019t have high-end explosiveness and can get caught being overeager at the line (he was called offside four times last year).<\/p>\n According to Brugler, Dennis-Sutton has \u201ca commanding presence,\u201d but may generate the most interest from teams in eyeing a \u201chigh floor role player\u201d instead of a \u201chigh-ceiling pass rusher.\u201d<\/p>\n Fifth round (No. 147): Julian Neal, CB, Arkansas<\/p>\n Neal, a high school receiver and basketball player, has only one full season of starting experience (and only a year and a half of starting experience overall). He switched to cornerback in 2021, when he enrolled at Fresno State, and used his four years with the Bulldogs to develop at the position. He transferred to Arkansas for the 2025 season and impressed enough to scale the draft boards.<\/p>\n Neal has the size (6-2, 203 pounds) and length (79-inch wingspan) that most teams covet for the cornerback position, and the athleticism (40-inch vertical and 11-foot-2-inch broad jump) that makes it easy to see why he excelled at multiple sports.<\/p>\n Neal\u2019s background has served him well; he has a natural ability to track the ball and contest receivers at the catch point. He\u2019s also physical and very competitive.<\/p>\n Brugler believes Neal could become a draft steal. \u201cHe has the potential to be an NFL starter for both man and zone teams,\u201d he wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sixth round (No. 187): Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake Forest<\/p>\n Described by Brugler as \u201ca low-calorie De\u2019Von Achane,\u201d Claiborne is a smaller back at 5-10, 188 pounds, but he has exceptional speed (4.37 40) and burst and was a dual threat. He was Wake Forest\u2019s featured back the last two years and finished his career as the program\u2019s fourth all-time leading rusher, with 2,599 yards. He also contributed 55 career catches for 424 receiving yards, and doubled as a kick returner in 2023 and \u201924, averaging 26.7 yards per kick those seasons.<\/p>\n Claiborne needs refining, especially with his ball security \u2014 he lost three fumbles and, according to PFF, had six drops last season \u2014 but he\u2019d have a chance to learn from a trio of veterans in Rachaad White, Jeremy McNichols and Jerome Ford, plus 2025 seventh-round pick Jacory \u201cBill\u201d Croskey Merritt. Landing a spot on the Commanders\u2019 53 won\u2019t be easy, but Claiborne\u2019s elusiveness and ability to flip the field as a returner certainly give him a shot.<\/p>\n Sixth round (No. 209): Zavion Thomas, WR, LSU<\/p>\n