Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters and the team’s personnel staff began working through NFL Draft scenarios last week, one of the final stages of prep before the clock starts Thursday.
“We’ll run a lot of simulations, we’ll run a lot of simulated trades,” he said. “’If 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’s going to be there?’”
In a year when there’s 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’s best safety or its best cornerback.
I tried to run through them myself for my second and final seven-round mock, using Pro Football Focus’ mock draft simulator. I decided to stay at No. 7, as Peters indicated the Commanders likely will, barring an offer they can’t pass up.
The right call? Get back to me in a few years.
First round (No. 7): Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
I do not envy Peters if Downs and cornerback Mansoor Delane are both still available at No. 7 (I’m assuming Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles is long gone by then; otherwise, he would get the nod over both defensive backs). There’s plenty of justification for taking Delane, in part because of his positional value, and there’s no disputing his talent at corner, after becoming a unanimous all-American at LSU.
But I took Downs because he’s a more complete talent. He’s 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.
Downs’ intellect is his forte. He has the awareness and knowledge to wear the green dot for Washington if needed. And he’s a sure tackler who plays with exceptional toughness and speed — so much so that The Athletic’s Dane Brugler described him as a “human missile” in “The Beast” draft guide. Downs didn’t allow a passing touchdown in two seasons and didn’t miss a game in his three college seasons, including his one year at Alabama.
Third round (No. 71): Dani Dennis-Sutton, Edge, Penn State
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 — he played AAU ball for Kevin Durant’s team in D.C. — and ran track in high school (11.61 seconds in the 100 meters).
His appeal is largely rooted in his size and athleticism. He’s 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.
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.
His athleticism shows up regularly on tape, and he knows how to vary his attack as a pass rusher, but he doesn’t have high-end explosiveness and can get caught being overeager at the line (he was called offside four times last year).
According to Brugler, Dennis-Sutton has “a commanding presence,” but may generate the most interest from teams in eyeing a “high floor role player” instead of a “high-ceiling pass rusher.”
Fifth round (No. 147): Julian Neal, CB, Arkansas
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.
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.
Neal’s background has served him well; he has a natural ability to track the ball and contest receivers at the catch point. He’s also physical and very competitive.
Brugler believes Neal could become a draft steal. “He has the potential to be an NFL starter for both man and zone teams,” he wrote.
Sixth round (No. 187): Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake Forest
Described by Brugler as “a low-calorie De’Von Achane,” 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’s featured back the last two years and finished his career as the program’s 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 ’24, averaging 26.7 yards per kick those seasons.
Claiborne needs refining, especially with his ball security — he lost three fumbles and, according to PFF, had six drops last season — but he’d have a chance to learn from a trio of veterans in Rachaad White, Jeremy McNichols and Jerome Ford, plus 2025 seventh-round pick Jacory “Bill” Croskey Merritt. Landing a spot on the Commanders’ 53 won’t be easy, but Claiborne’s elusiveness and ability to flip the field as a returner certainly give him a shot.
Sixth round (No. 209): Zavion Thomas, WR, LSU
Washington didn’t add a Day 1 starting receiver in this mock, and it still sorely needs one. But Thomas gives them another big-play threat, thanks to his speed (4.28 40 at the combine), his ability to win at the line of scrimmage and his competitive fire. He also gives the Commanders another option in the return game; Thomas returned two kicks and one punt for touchdowns during his time at Mississippi State and LSU.
A Mississippi State transfer, Thomas lined up primarily outside (79 percent) at LSU and collected the majority of his yardage (55 percent) after the catch for an average of 6.3 YAC per reception.
Seventh round (No. 223): Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia
It was a bit surprising to see Delp still available near the end of the draft, but I didn’t create this simulator. I just made the selections.
The Georgia standout is ranked as the No. 4 tight end by Brugler and is projected to go in the third round. He has size (6-5, 246 pounds), impressive speed for his frame (4.49-second 40) and a solid catch radius, despite having arms that are on the shorter end for his position, at 31 5/8 inches.
He didn’t work out at the combine because a hairline fracture was discovered in his right foot. But he did participate in Georgia’s pro day with seemingly no concerns about the injury.
Washington’s tight ends room has a new leader in Chig Okonkwo, who signed a three-year, $27 million contract with the team in March, and still has John Bates as its primary blocking tight end. But it’s an open competition among the others: Ben Sinnott, Colson Yankoff and Lawrence Cager.
