The Washington Commanders have the 29th pick in the 2025 NFL draft and there has been a ton of speculation about who they will select. The Commanders have plenty of capital to work with, so their draft selections will be focused on the future and they could very likely land some veteran mentorship in free agency to supplement their draft class.
There have been a few positions suggested at this spot for the Commanders: Tight end, defensive end, and linebacker. Given their biggest needs this offseason, those aren’t terrible ideas, and The 33rd Team agrees as they predict the Commanders will select a linebacker with their first-round pick in 2025.
Dan Quinn getting his hands on James Pearce Jr. doesn’t really seem fair, but here we are. Washington needs some more pass rush help, thanks to some expiring contracts, and Peace is the kind of potent rush talent that should get run despite not being an every down player at this stage of his career. Quinn’s variety of flavors at defensive end can help bridge the early downs.
The Commanders’ run defense is by far its weakest link. Selecting Pearce in this spot would help toward fixing that link, but it won’t be the whole answer. As indicated, he’s not an every-down player right now, so the Commanders would have to find another piece to complement the defense when Pearce isn’t on the field.
Now, if the Commanders agree to trade for Myles Garrett, drafting Pearce actually makes more sense because Garrett can mentor him. Of course, if Washington were able to trade for Garrett, it probably would be without this pick.
There are plenty of options for the Commanders to evaluate this spring, and you can be sure the defense is the top priority.