To simplify the process, I’ve narrowed it down to just 12 players who are guaranteed to get the Commanders back to the Super Bowl.The Little Board grew out of a list of 12 must-have prospects I used to compile in every draft, as a way to stay connected to my home town team, back before the advent of streaming services made it easy to follow them in Australia. It is a list of players I like for one reason or another, and is definitely not an attempt to predict players the Commanders will actually pick. Over the years, as I have followed the draft in greater depth, it has bloated from the original 12 payers, and I have been tying to pare it back down.

This year I nearly succeeded, except for the appendage I had to tack on at the end.During the dark years, before Adam Peters replaced Ron Rivera as head of personnel, the Little Board was mainly a list of players who were destined to become Ravens, Packers, Steelers, Patriots and for some reason Titans (whom I will never forgive for drafting A.J. Brown). Since AP took over, more and more Little Boarders have been finding their way onto the roster.

Last year’s Little Board set a new record, with three mentioned players drafted by the Commanders: CB Trey Amos, WR/PR Jaylin Lane, RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The caveat is that they were all alternate selections, which I include as my cheat to mention more players that I like.That was, without a doubt, the best performing Little Board to date. Normally it’s a lot more hit and miss.

Most of the main selections had very good to impressive rookie debuts for other teams, including S Nick Emmanwori (AP DroY-2), S Xavier Watts (AP DroY-4), NT Jamaree Caldwell (5 starts, 1 PD, 1 FF, 1 sack, 31 comb tackles, 5 TFL), G Tate Ratledge (17 starts, 73.5 RBlk grade), WR Tre Harris (10 starts, 30 Rec, 324 Yds, 1 TD, 6/8 CTC), RB Quinshon Judkins (14 starts, 827 Yds, 7 TD; 26 rec, 171 Yds), and RB Cam Skattebo (5 starts, 410 yds, 5 TD; 24 Rec, 207 yds, 2 TD). A few others had solid rookie outings, including CB Azareye’h Thomas, DE J.T. Tuimoloau, WR Jaylin Noel, WR Dont’e Thornton.

And only two struggled to get on the field (DT JJ Pegues) or struggled when they were on it (OL Anthony Belton).It will be hard to replicate that success rate this year. To increase my chances of finding the gems of the draft class, I have enlisted the help of my 18 year old son, Sam. Thanks to Jayden Daniels, Sam is now the biggest Washington Commanders’ fan under 60 in the Southern Hemisphere.

He has been helping me build the DraftBot’s board, and will be giving his picks for each of the categories.At 7th OverallOrdinarily, the Little Board includes some “Impossible Dream” picks near the top of the draft order. This year, one of those dreams is likely to come true, courtesy of the Commanders’ disappointing 5-12 finish. The following three prospects represent the silver lining to the storm clouds of 2025.1.

Mansoor Delane, Senior, LSU6-0 | 187 lbs | 4.38s 40 | Age 222025 Stats: 45 Comb Tkl | 10 Stops | 0.46 Y/Cov Snap | 2 INT | 11 PD | 35 targets |165 Yd Allowed | 0 TDConsensus Rank: 10Commanders’ Meetings: Combine, Top 30 VisitMansoor Delane is the premiere shutdown corner in the draft class. In 357 coverage snaps, SEC WR1s in his coverage were targeted just 35 times for 14 receptions, 165 yds and 0 TDs. His interception count might seem low, but that’s because he starved himself of opportunities by erasing his receivers.

He intercepted 5.7% of his targets, which was the 11th highest rate of interceptions among 59 consensus-ranked CB prospects. Pairing Delane with Trey Amos will take away the perimeter from opposing QBs, giving the pass rush extra time to work, forcing bad decisions to generate opportunities for defense. The logic is inescapable.

Mansoor Delane will be the Commanders pick at #7, if he’s still available.SamInBrisVegas Pick: Mansoor Delane2. Caleb Downs, Junior, Ohio State 6-0 | 206 lbs | Arms 30.25” | Age 212025 Stats: 68 Comb Tkl | 7.2% Run Stop Rate| 0.47 Y/Cov Snap | 2 FF | 1 Sack | 2 INT | 2 PDConsensus Rank: 9Commanders Meetings: CombineIt’s possible that a CB needy team like the Chiefs will jump ahead of the Commanders to snap up Delane. If that happens, the choice comes down to splitting the tie between two OSU defenders.

Downs barely nudges ahead, by virtue of being the more refined prospect and playing a position where the Commanders have just one plausible starter.Downs has been labelled a “football savant” for his uncanny ability to anticipate offensive plays and see through misdirection. He is a do it all safety, who excels at stopping the run, and is well