The Washington Commanders made a future position battle at right tackle even more interesting by taking Oregon Ducks tackle Josh Conerly Jr. with the 29th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. So, there's clearly more work to be done heading into Day 2.

However, the Commanders only have one pick at No. 61 to work with. It's a big reason why the Conerly pick will be questioned – the Commanders don't have a lot of capital to work with over the weekend the they traded for Laremy Tunsil during free agency. With Brandon Coleman and Andrew Wylie on the right side, it leaves questions as to what happens in the big picture.

So, with that being said, let's go ahead and dive into the Commanders' biggest needs after the first round of the draft.

---

1. EDGE

The Commanders are still looking for a guy that can fill Dante Fowler Jr.'s role, who led the team with 10.5 sacks last year.

The key with Fowler Jr. was his versatility. He could be lined up out wide in a two-point stance, over a tackle with his hand in the dirt, or he could even be lined up inside during obvious passing situations. His versatility, along with very good athleticism, bend, and burst, were big factors in his successful season. On top of the fact that Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. knew exactly how to use him.

Right now, the Commanders have Dorance Armstrong and presumably Deatrich Wise manning the bulk of the action at defensive end. Adam Peters also added Jacob Martin and brought back Clelin Ferrell, but those four guys aren't the same player that Fowler Jr. is and none of them are true EDGE1-type players. Quinn/Whitt Jr. love to run multiple looks up front, so having a versatile pass rusher like this is basically a necessity if they want to have their full defensive vision on the field.

Granted, the Commanders' current crop of players on the outside should be able to help the run defense, which was pretty bad last year. However, it's coming at the cost of some pass rush juice and that's just as important these days – if not more.

Obviously the board has to fall a certain way, but it'll be a big surprise if Washington doesn't take a stab at this position on Day 2.

Best remaining options: Donovan Ezeiruaku, Nic Scourton, Oluwafemi Oladejo, Princely Umanmielen

---

2. Cornerback

Yes, the Commanders have Marshon Lattimore and Mikey Sainristil as their Top 2 options. Noah Igbinoghene is back, as well, and the team added veterans Jonathan Jones and Kevon Seymour in free agency.

But they still need another guy who can come in and make an immediate impact and it's easy to see why.

For starters, the jury is out on what Lattimore can do in 2025. Last season was a failure, to put it lightly, even if the former four-time Pro Bowler dealt with a nagging hamstring injury. His overall performance left much to be desired as he allowed plenty of big plays and drew plenty of defensive pass interference flags, as well. 

The hope is he can come into 2025 fully healthy and ready to go, but that remains to be seen. There's also the fact that he has no guaranteed money left on the next two years of his deal, so the team can part ways at any time with no penalty.

Jones is a good player and a major locker room presence, but he's getting long in the tooth and is on a one-year deal. Igbinoghene was serviceable last year, but is more of a depth guy. He's also on a one-year deal. Seymour has played a grand total of 19 defensive snaps over the last three years, so he's clearly not a starting option.

Drafting a perimeter corner on Day 2 would not only give the Commanders viable depth on the outside, but it also gives them tons of options. Sainristil and Jones can both play inside and out, therefore, bringing in an outside guy could give Washington a situation where they move Sainristil back inside to where Igbinoghene is his depth and Jones can mix in at both slot and outside corner. 

And, of course, it'd give them a long-term plan at the position. 

Best remaining options: Darian Porter Jr., Nohl Williams

---

3. Safety

We all know how much Quinn and Whitt Jr. love to deploy multiple safeties on defense and right now, they don't have the horses to do that. 

I'm talking three-safety looks, or Big Dime packages. Yea, the Commanders have a guy in Dominique Hampton who is that kind of linebacker/safety hybrid, but he couldn't find his way onto the field in 2024, regardless of reasons why. So, it remains to be seen what he can actually do. Jeremy Reaves is more of a special teams staple and Percy Butler/Tyler Owens/Ben Nikkel are more backups. 

Taking a versatile safety on Day 2 would allow the Commanders to do all sorts of things with the starting duo of Will Harris and Quan Martin, who can execute multiple responsibilities, themselves. Quinn could split the back end with Martin and the Day 2 pick and move Harris into the box. He could also match Martin up with a tight end, put Harris in the box, and place the pick in centerfield. Those are just a couple of options off the bat.

The Commanders defense is a free-flowing unit and adding a safety on Day 2 would make it even more fluid heading into 2025.

Best remaining options: Jonas Sanker, Andrew Mukuba, Jaylen Reed

---