Protect your investment and let it protect you. That’s the mantra that was embraced by Washington Commanders General Manager Adam Peters, who spent his first selection in the 2025 NFL Draft on a new protector for Jayden Daniels.
That unnamed man is Oregon product Josh Conerly Jr., a 21-year-old offensive lineman with the size of a bulldozer and the gracefulness of a swan.
“[Conerly Jr.] is going to be a dog,” Laremy Tunsil, another offensive lineman who joined the Commanders during the offseason, said at Thursday’s mandatory minicamp session. “Just the way he moves, the way he bends; athletic, smart, very intelligent, I think he got all the tools to be a damn good player in the league.”
Lost behind Daniels’ electrifying rookie campaign was the degree of difficulty he faced every time he stepped onto the field. The Commanders were 22nd in pass blocking and 28th in run blocking according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury often had his tight ends and running backs stay behind to block or throw a chip before releasing on their routes to help protect Daniels. Washington also favored a no-huddle tempo in part to keep defenses in basic coverages and to tire out opposing pass-rushers, making their quarterback’s job even easier.
The Commanders had already traded significant draft capital for Tunsil, sending 2025 third- and seventh-round picks and 2026 second- and fourth-round picks to the Houston Texans for him and a 2025 fourth-round pick.
Conerly Jr.’s selection, along with the presence of Tunsil, will allow Kingsbury to open up his playbook in a way he couldn’t last year.
“He just really, really impressed us in person, just the way he handled himself, really anybody we talked to,” Peters said after the first round of the draft had concluded. “We debrief after those 30 visits, and you go around the room and talk about how each person interacted with him. It was all superlatives.”
The 6-4, 315-pound tackle only allowed one sack in 523 pass-block reps during his junior year with the Ducks. He also gave up just two quarterback hits and six pressures, equaling a 1.1 percent pressure rate allowed.
Conerly Jr.’s magnum opus was his performance against the third pick in the draft, edge rusher Abdul Carter, in the Big Ten Championship Game. In 35 pass-block reps, the Commanders’ new bookend lineman did not allow a sack or a pressure in what became a 45-37 win over Penn State.
The Commanders’ front five looks much different than it did just one year ago. Previously:
- LT: Brandon Coleman
- LG: Nick Allegretti
- C: Tyler Biadasz
- RG: Sam Cosmi
- RT: Andrew Wylie
Now:
- LT: Laremy Tunsil
- LG: Brandon Coleman
- C: Tyler Biadasz
- RG: Sam Cosmi
- RT: Josh Conerly Jr.
Conerly Jr.’s station on the right will be new to him. Nearly all of his reps came at left tackle until he switched sides at the Senior Bowl, where his peers named him the most outstanding lineman in attendance.
“It felt really good [to receive the honor], because I had a pretty up and down week there,” Conerly Jr. said during his first press conference with the Commanders in April. “For them to think that highly of me with me not even having my best week meant a lot.”
The 21-year-old is highly renowned for his athleticism. He recorded a 1.71 10-yard split during his 40-yard dash, the fastest among offensive lineman at the ’25 combine, and a 34.5-inch vertical leap, which was third. The Oregon coaching staff had so much trust in him as an athlete that they let him catch and run for touchdowns in only two years as a starter.
The knock on the freakishly mobile blocker was his play strength. He could be knocked off his spot, though he often recovered with his agility and quickness.
Conerly Jr. also showed significant improvement during his final season at Oregon, a quality noted by the Commanders’ brass and numerous draft analysts.
The unique rookie talent also received the fortunate blessing of getting to work with Tunsil, the player he claimed to have watched during college to refine his pass-blocking technique.
Tunsil was graded as PFF’s fourth-best pass-blocking tackle last year and the best in 2023. His four sacks allowed last year – all of which came in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts and the divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs – were considered part of a down year by his standard.
The pair share one common goal heading into the new season: protect Daniels.
The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year thrived when he was given adequate protection. He completed 74.8 percent of his passes for 3,338 yards, 20 touchdowns, and five interceptions, and ranked sixth in PFF’s passing metric under that circumstance.
The Commanders’ skill position groups are still feeling themselves out. Terry McLaurin did not show up to mandatory minicamp and is holding out for a contract extension, Noah Brown was carted out of Wednesday’s practice with an injury, and Peters may have drafted Brian Robinson Jr.’s replacement in the seventh round in Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
Daniels is a constant, and Conerly Jr. could be his right-hand man on the Commanders for at least a decade. Rarely does a rookie enter the league with instructions as clear as his, which is simply to protect his star quarterback and watch the team flourish.
