The Washington Commanders selected offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. with the 29th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. The selection shows the Commanders’ commitment to protecting Jayden Daniels and that they want to reduce the amount of running Daniels has to do. Obviously, Daniels is going to run sometimes; that’s part of his game. What the Commanders don’t want, though, is a ton of scrambling due to pressure.
We got our first look at Conerly against the New England Patriots last week, although Daniels did not play. It wasn’t a pretty game, but Conerly looked good on the field. In fact, CBS Sports graded each first-round pick after the first preseason game of 2025, and Conerly was among the successful rookies.
Grade: B
Long audition for Conerly Jr. to begin his NFL (preseason) career. He played 21 snaps and only gave up one hurry. As a run-blocker, his technical game shined. He latched on and drove defenders out of running lanes in the seven opportunities he had to do so.
Here’s what Washington’s own Logan Paulsen saw from Conerly last week:
Currently, Conerly is competing with veteran Andrew Wylie at right tackle, but there have been calls to see Wylie moved to guard and Conerly to start Week 1. That could work if Sam Cosmi isn’t ready to go Week 1, which doesn’t look promising right now. However, when Cosmi is ready, that right guard position is all his.
Conerly was mostly excellent in his debut against the Patriots last week: One hurry on 21 snaps, and run blocking was on point, which was another problem the Commanders had in 2024.
The Commanders host the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday in their second preseason game of the year. Conerly will get another chance to show what he is capable of, and he may already be on his way to a starting role, perhaps as soon as Week 1. One thing is for sure: Conerly is going to be fun to watch.
