The Washington Commanders pick 29th in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, so there's no telling what the board will look like once it's their turn to make a selection.

Such is the price of success, but I guarantee you Adam Peters and Dan Quinn would have zero issue being in this spot on a yearly basis. In fact they, along with the other 31 general manager/head coach combos, would prefer picking at No. 32 every year.

For obvious reasons, of course.

The Commanders have some obvious needs heading into this draft with edge and cornerback being the primary two, in my mind. Honestly, they need a guy at either position that can make an impact in Year 1, as well. 

That's because there hasn't been an answer for Dante Fowler Jr.'s departure yet and it remains to be seen if Marshon Lattimore ends up as the CB1 the Commanders thought they were getting when they traded for him back in November. There's also the question of just how effective Jonathan Jones will be inside and if Noah Igbinoghene can take a step forward. If either of them struggle inside, the Commanders could be forced to move Mike Sainristil back inside, leaving an opening on the outside. 

Plus, Jones is on a one-year deal and turns 32 in September. Lattimore, aside from his struggles, is in the penultimate year of a deal that pays him $16 million in 2025 and $16.5 million in 2026.

So, with all that being said, there are three teams that need an edge or cornerback (or both) as badly as the Commanders and they could certainly make the first round tough when it comes to Washington getting its guy.

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1. The Buccaneers easily take the cake as the team that could swipe one of the Commanders' draft targets

The Bucs signed Haason Reddick in free agency and YaYa Diaby is taking the right steps toward becoming a consistent pass rusher, but there's no long-term plan outside of the soon-to-be third-year player, right now. Especially when talking about guys who can become a serious threat.

Chris Braswell is in the mix, but it wouldn't be a good idea to completely hitch your wagon to the hope he turns it on in 2025. The Bucs also want to really make some strides in getting more pressure/sacks with four pass rushers, which only adds more credence to the idea. 

"We've got a few players – a handful of players like we do every year – that we think could be there at [pick number] 19, including edge rushers. I think we're going to stick to, what's the best player? And if it happens to be an edge rusher, it's an edge rusher," Bucs general manager Jason Licht told reporters Monday.

Then there's cornerback, where the future of Jamel Dean is as dicey as ever. You can bet he's out the door after 2025 if he doesn't stay healthy or produce. He hasn't been consistently reliable in either category for pretty much the duration of his entire career, which is not good for a guy set to make $13 million in 2025 and $13.5 million in 2026. 

“Like I said, everybody’s position is up for grabs. I think Zyon [McCollum] is probably 1A, 1B because Zyon stayed healthier during the year," Todd Bowles told reporters Tuesday. "Dean has to get healthy. He comes in and he plays – he can’t play half a year, every couple of years.

"He understands he has to stay healthy and he’s doing everything he can to be healthy, but we have to have some depth there just in case. If somebody comes in and competes with him, he’s going to have to compete.”

And if he does play well? 2026 is the last year of his deal and he'll turn 30 in October of that year. The Bucs could use the upward trend to elevate his trade value, thus ushering a new era with their pick from this year's draft.

"We don’t have a lot of depth," Bowles said regarding the cornerback position. "That’s crystal clear – we don’t have a lot of depth. We hope to address that at some point in the draft, as well. We didn’t sign many in free agency. We signed [Kindle] Vildor and we signed Bryce [Hall] – he’s coming off an injury and we’ve got to see what Vildor can do, obviously. We’re going to address that in the draft.”

It's easy to see why the Bucs are the top team that could give the Commanders some difficulty in Round 1.

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2. The Atlanta Falcons also need a pass rusher and a cornerback at No. 15

I'm obviously excluding some of the higher-up picks because the Commanders pick in the back end of Round 1. The Falcons pick in the top half, but could really set things in motion based off the fact they need an impact player at both edge and corner.

Top three needs: Edge, DT, CB.

Leonard Floyd was a solid free agent addition at edge. He has had no fewer than 8.5 sacks in a season since 2020. But Falcons coach Raheem Morris has said he believes a pass rush is most potent with two strong options. So look for Atlanta to draft someone who can get to the quarterback early, likely at No. 15.

With the loss of defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, the Falcons also have a hole in the middle of their line. Morgan Fox was a nice addition, but this draft is rich in interior line talent. – Marc Raimondi, ESPN

It's obvious the Falcons are going to go defense-heavy in this draft, as the offensive side of the ball is set at just about every single position. There's also the fact they have a defensive-minded head coach in Raheem Morris. It's almost guaranteed they'll snatch one of the Commanders' guys off the board when it's their time to shine at 15.

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3. The Lions have a chance to get a little revenge on the Commanders for last year's playoff loss

The Lions released Za'Darius Smith and both Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport are coming back from season-ending injuries. Those were the Lions' top-3 pass rushers from 2024 and Hutchinson and Davenport are currently the top-2 guys. So, it's safe to say the Lions have a big need at EDGE.

They also pick one spot ahead of the Commanders at 28, so they could certainly get a little bit of revenge for the blowout loss in the NFC Divisional game. 

Top three needs: Edge, G, LB. Detroit's pass rush will certainly get boosted by the return of Aidan Hutchinson, but the Lions could still use more help with a strong rotation of pass rushers after releasing veteran defensive end Za'Darius Smith.

The Lions lost a starter in veteran guard Kevin Zeitler to the Titans via free agency, so they'll have to replace him to keep the offensive line competing on an elite level. They could benefit from adding a talented off-ball linebacker as well. – Eric Woodyard, ESPN

The key with the Lions is they deploy a multi-look front seven and rush guys from a two-point stance on a consistent basis. That means they'll be looking for basically the players the Commanders will be looking for. 

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