FACT: Washington Commanders' Draft Plans REVEALED—Are TRADE Scenarios Just a Smokescreen?

0:00It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. United Health Group is bringing in-home treatment directly to patients, closing caregabs, identifying risks earlier and improving patient outcomes. In 2025, patients received over 19 million home visits. Learn more at unitedhealthgroup.com slash commitment. Hi friend, it's your inner child calling, and they want your rose. And a new adventure with the bestest besties on earth, find your moment at Walt Disney World Resort. If there's one thing we know Adam Peters was telling the whole truth about in his pre-draft press conference, it's this. You hear something new every day, right? Really everybody's nobody's telling the truth. You are Lockdown Commanders, your daily podcast on the Washington Commanders, part of the

1:04Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome inside today's episode of Lockdown Commanders, I am your host, your guy on the ground, David Harrison, and on today's episode one week out from the NFL Draft and Adam Peters has no idea what's about to happen in front of him, but that's okay because he doesn't feel compelled to go in one direction or the other. But we're starting off today's episode, talking about the fact that Washington probably isn't trading item number seven on Thursday night, or are they, depending on whether or not Adam Peters is telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. We're going to play a little bit of factor, fiction here, have a little bit of fun with this pre-draft press conference from Adam Peters. I want to be completely clear, completely up front here. The Adam Peters job is to protect the interest of the Washington Commanders. So if I tell you that I think he's being deceptive, this is not like a media member complaining about the general manager not being forthcoming and things like that, completely understanding he's had a job to do. Just want to have a little bit of fun with his press conference, but also it gives us the mechanism to talk about what Adam Peters talked about as well and what we think that there

2:06means between the lines a little bit and do those types of things. So we're going to have a little bit of fun with this. Hopefully it's a little bit of fun for you, it'll be a little bit of fun for me. So let's start off with our first quote here, Adam Peters asked about potentially trading out of number seven, gave his answer here is what he had to say. I would say more likely than not we'd stay in pick, but you know, I don't foresee us moving up, but you know, moving back just depends on the circumstances, but we're not like, I want to say we're not actively trying to move back. So is that factor fiction? I'm going to tell you that I think it's fact. I think Adam Peters is telling the truth there that they're not actively looking to move back. However, I don't think that the more than likely we're going to stay at seven type of thing necessarily is brought to you with conviction. I feel a lack of conviction in the way that Adam Peters said what he said. I feel the body language kind of shows a lack of conviction, basically meaning anything can happen, right? And there's a lot of time between now and the NFL draft and they're going to have these conversations and kind of stage these things and and discuss, you know, what the values

3:07are, you know, those types of things, but then all the curveballs that come ahead of Adam Peters at number seven, he said that as of this point, he doesn't really know exactly what to expect to happen in front of him at number seven from picks one through six. I think we all know what's going to happen to pick one. The question is two through six. Really what's going to happen there? Are there going to be any other trades? Is there going to be a surprise pick? Things like that. And as those surprise picks happen, as those traits happen, certain guys fall that you didn't expect them to certain guys come off the board earlier, then you then you expected them to a changes that dynamic it changes the landscape. So while I think Adam Peters is telling the truth that he thinks that, you know, more than likely, there's a chance that they're going to pick at number seven. I don't feel like the conviction is there. And also, this is a message to other GMs in the national football league that obviously the phone lines are open. There's not a GM in the NFL that's not open to a conversation like the Las Vegas Raiders. If you call them and say, Hey, we want to talk to you about trading up for the number one overall pick. I'm pretty sure that John Spite's act is probably picking up the phone and at least having the conversation, whether it goes really far or not is the other thing.

4:08But also what this allows Adam Peters to do is send the message to his fellow GMs, the ones that who do go through this. I mean, listen, these guys are listening. These guys are watching. They got PR staffs that are collecting information. And if you're the, say you're the Kansas City Chiefs at number nine and you're like, Hey, I'd like to trade up to number seven. And now your PR manager team, your manager or your team comes up to you and says, Hey, Adam Peters just said, Yeah, you know, we can pick it seven week, you know, we can potentially move back. We're not really, you know, looking to move back per say what it tells the Kansas City Chiefs General Manager coming into that conversation is, Hey, dude, like you're going to have to convince us that this is the path that we need to take. Now inside the building, could Adam Peters be sitting there saying, Come on, give me a deal. Come on, give me a trade and give me an excuse to move back. Absolutely. But the public facing for the public before we're facing the message from him is going to be, yeah, you know, look, we can move back if the situation presents itself. But we're perfectly happy saying pick or saying still as well. Washington only has six picks this year, a third few is in the national football league because that Laramie tonsil trade their second rounder, their fourth rounder, both

5:09belong to the Houston Texans. So to me, they need capital. We've been doing these mock drafts, getting another second round pick, even getting another third round pick. If you can get that out of them or getting a second round pick, we're getting another third round pick. If you can get that out of a team in a trade back, absolutely matters. When Adam Peters answered this question, there's also kind of like a half shoulder shrug or like only like one of his shoulders, really kind of shrugged and he did that right when he said, I don't want to say we're not, which is kind of a giveaway to me because I think that he does. I think that kind of gives away that he does want to move back. He just doesn't want to say that they want to move back because again, if you want to move, it's like, it's like a player, right? Like you, San Francisco 49ers have publicly said, like Brandon, I use not playing for us anymore. So when you hear that while they're trying to get a trade for him, trying to get picks for him, people are like, bro, what are people going to give you for a receiver that everybody knows you don't want on your team anymore. So again, Adam Peters can't come out and say, yeah, we can move out of seven. That'd be amazing. So let's make that happen. They got to have the face of like, yeah, we're good at seven. We're going to send more good in trade back of the package fits because it tells the

6:11other GM, you got to give me a package that fits and you got to, you know, not necessarily overpay a lot, but you got to pay a little bit of something. So a good GM work there from Adam Peters, right, not giving away all the information, but a little bit of things that we can read into it. And of course, we are reading into it. So again, a little bit of fun here before next week's NFL drafting to end the week here on long time commanders. Now, next question that we're going to talk about next answer rather than we're going to talk about positional value. Adam Peters basically asked about the, the pressure of picking in the top 10 and whether or not it changes the angle on how important it is for you to get a guy, a positional value, a great value at that pick versus just getting a guy that you think is going to help. Here's what Adam Peters had to say. I think just finding the best player that can help your team the most in regardless of position, I think, and I think that applies kind of everywhere. So every position, everywhere you're in the draft. So you know, I don't want to like, you just get too deep into positional value, you kind

7:15of get lost in like, who's going to really be able to help your team? Fact or fiction? I think this is fact, man. I think Adam Peters is telling a bold, faced truth here in this answer that is not about the, the positional value. It's about the value of the player to the team. And I think this answer sets it up beautifully for the wash smears to potentially pull the trigger on drafting a running back like Jeremiah love, a linebacker, like sunny styles or a safety like Caleb downs, those are, those are positions, those position groups are largely widely considered non premium positions. You want to take an edge, you want to take a quarterback, even a cornerback, if they're a ballhawking shut down type of corner, like a shut down half of the field for an opposing offense. Those guys are considered more premium offensive tackles, obviously are going to be those kinds of guys running back linebacker safety. They don't typically go super high in the draft unless they're unicorns, while the wash smears view sunny styles or Caleb downs or Jeremiah love as unicorns, then they certainly could. If you push push comes the shove, one of those three guys is on the board.

8:16They pull the trigger on one of those three guys and be perfectly happy with it. Adam Peters, I think something that when he answered this question, kind of looked to me like he was trying not to make a little bit eye contact, and certainly some of that can be, you know, trying to just kind of think about what you're going to say and basically be, be very, very specific with your words, because as an NFL general manager, you need to be, but it also kind of looks like he's, he's trying to shield us from the knowledge of a specific target, but the way that he answers the question, downplaying the positional value game and all those types of things, I think if he was locked into a cornerback and edge rusher, a quarterback, which obviously is not going to be in this draft. But if he were locked into one of those premium positions, I don't think he would have to kind of answer this in the way that he did where he's kind of laying the groundwork like I said, to take a non premium player. So if you're a sunny styles guy, a Jeremy love guy, or gal, or a Caleb Downs person, then hey, there's a chance that Adam Peters is on the same page with you and he's going to potentially look to take one of those non premium position players, because he feels like it's a premium player that can impact the team again, talk about non premium positions,

9:18as the Seattle Seahawks, how premium and how valuable Bobby Wagner was during his prime and all those things, as simple as 49ers, how valuable Fred Warner is and there's examples all across the league all throughout history, as well as non premium players, quote, unquote, being very premium presences on their NFL team. So two down, two more to go next up. We're going to talk about Adam Peters and his answer and his thoughts on whether or not he'd be willing to trade within the division again, even after the reaction from the last time coming up next on today's episode of Lockdown Commanders, part of Lockdown Podcast network, your team every day. And today's episode of Lockdown Commanders is brought to you in part by Rouge yet. The NFL draft is here. Preparation is about to meet opportunity and every decision is going to matter. It's all about being ready when the moment comes. That same mindset applies on the field and it applies off the field as well and outside of the war room. That's where Rouge yet comes in. Rouge yet offers treatment designed to help you feel ready and confident when it matters

10:21most. Their top option, Rouge yet ready is a mint and it dissolves under your tongue, clinically proven ingredients contained in that mint and works quickly, oftentimes in 15 minutes and it can last up to 36 hours and they also offer their go long designed to help with both performance and control. It's all about showing up at your best whenever that moment comes. Head to Rouge yet dot com slash locked on NFL and get 15% off of your E the treatment. That's R U G I E V dot com slash locked on NFL for 15% off Rouge yet performance medicine for men. Today's episode of Lockdown Commanders is also brought to you in part by rocket money. If you have ever opened your bank account and thought to yourself, where did all my money go? You're not alone. Keep in track of subscriptions. You're spending and your bills and get overwhelming fast. And sometimes you can get out of control before you even realize you're losing control. That's where rocket money comes in helping you take control of your finances all in one place.

11:21It tracks all your subscriptions in one place so you can help and it can help you cancel the ones that you don't need with just a few taps it automatically categorizes your spending. So you can see where your money is going and why and it can help you set budgets, get alerts and stay on top of your upcoming bills. It just makes everything feel more organized and it gives you a clearer picture of the finance day to day in your situation rocket money is a personal finance app that helps finding cancel unwanted subscriptions, monitors, you're spending and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings, let rocket money help you reach your financial goals faster, join up at rocket money dot com slash locked on as rocket money dot com slash locked on. One day, dress up time will be a cherished memory, but today, today you won't just dress up like a Disney princess. You'll meet real ones too. Now's the time visit Disney World dot com slash preschool to learn more. Thank you for making locks on commanders your first listen or view today and every day to the everydayers that come through for every single episode.

12:22I thank you again for making this episode another part of your viewing routine and if you haven't already, please check out the every day or club locks on commanders dot super cast dot com is where you go to find packages that offer ad free episodes discord access text message access. You can text me your thoughts and your questions any time of day that you want to newsletters and so much more again locked on commanders dot super cast dot com to check that out today. Our next quotes and impetus asked about not just trading but trading within the NFC East doesn't matter if the GM on the other online or the phone other end of the phone is an NFC East rival. Here's what he had to say. No, I don't think it impacts it at all. Obviously, I think there's more scrutiny with that, but certainly doesn't change. You know, the thought process is always is this the right decision for our team and if that's the case, then then we'll do it and it doesn't really matter what what the team is. What we got to beat him on Sundays and Mondays and Wednesdays and Thursday and Fridays.

13:23Regardless. So, you know, to me, that doesn't that doesn't make a huge difference there. It's just whatever is best for our team. Factor fiction. It is absolute fact at impetus is already proven that he's willing to trade within the division trading with the Philadelphia Eagles and he's already proven what he just said there at the end of the day, they have to go and beat those teams and I think that he understands the difference between narrative and reality and listen, the bottom line is I remember when he traded back with the Philadelphia Eagles, a lot of commanders fans, a lot of commanders media were like, what are you doing, bro, you're helping this team, your rival, go get a player that they want that is going to potentially help them beat you. I've always said and I'll always maintain this. If they're going to trade up to get a player that I don't want, I'm going to do what's best for me and I don't want that guy anyway, but I do want your other draft picks that you're about to give me so you can come get this guy and you're going to get a guy that you want anyway and you're going to go out there and try to beat us regardless. It's not like the Eagles say like, oh, because we tried it up and got Cooper to Jean, now we really want to beat the commanders, not they want to beat the commanders regardless.

14:24And truthfully, after draft weekend, it didn't come up again until when until Cooper to Jean got an interception and singing Super Bowl. That's when it came up again. While the Washington commanders were putting together their program, while they were winning games, while they're making their playoff run, not a single word was spoken. I can't say that because I'm sure somebody was about to hung up about it, but it wasn't until the Eagles beat them in the playoffs. It wasn't until Cooper to Jean got himself an interception on his birthday in the Super Bowl, which listen, rivalries aside, that is amazing. Like, just imagine that being your life on your birthday, your rookie season, the NFL, you get interception in the Super Bowl, bro. I mean, that's just that's just the perfect day right there, right? So I get it, I get the PR and I get the narratives, all those things, but AP is absolutely willing to do it. Not only is AP willing to do it, I kind of took that answer as he's daring them to do it. He's daring the Cowboys and the Eagles, Cowboys are at 12. Eagles are later than that. I don't know exactly when they're picking, but they are both in position where they could potentially try to trade up with the wash commanders. He's almost saying, hey, come, let's come show them what I'm talking about.

15:26Make me put my money where my mouth is Cowboys come up from number 12 to number seven, come and get a guy you want that I don't want and then watch his beat you anyway in 2026. So I think Adam Peters absolutely means what he says here. And I think that if the Dallas Cowboys, I think the Philadelphia Eagles are a little too far back there in the 20s to make a move here, but I think that if the Dallas Cowboys call up with the appropriate package, they're absolutely, Adam Peters absolutely willing to take that deal as much as you hate it as much as some of my colleagues in the media are going to hate it. He's absolutely willing to do it. And you know what? Honestly, I like that about him. I think that it's a good thing. I think it's good for his team to be open to all of those opportunities. And I know some of you are in a hate that I think that as well. Final quote here from Washington, manager, general manager, Adam Peters that we're going to diagnose comes in the form of a defensive question who's asked specifically about drafting a defensive player early in the NFL draft and especially specifically at number seven as well. Here's what Adam Peters had to say. There's a lot of guys and that will possibly be there in different levels of the defense.

16:32Really every position quite frankly that can really impact us in a real positive way. So we're fortunate in that way. And it just depends on who's there and who we think can be the most impactful, not only in 2026, but in beyond. So I don't think there's anything, especially when you're picking on the top 10, there's not too many guys that aren't like scheme fits, you know, they're all pretty good. So I think Adam Peters is telling the truth when he says there's a lot of good guys up there when you're picking on the top 10 because of course you're picking the top 10. There's a lot of good players available in the top 10. But I do think he has his eyes on one, two, maybe three specific defenders. If he does decide to go to defense in the first round. And I think he's using some language here to be very intentional to not let any other GM know who that player might be. He talks about every position on defense could be impacted by a good player coming in through the NFL draft. He talks about every level of the defense. So he's literally saying to opposing GMs, look, the D line edge linebacker corner safety. We think there's talent all across the board.

17:33And I think that's it's smart right because again, you don't want to give any GMs any questions about what they're doing. Plus, you're not coming out there saying, well, you know, we're looking for a guy that does this. We're looking for a guy that does that. Turn the ball over with more interceptions. OK, that cues and GM safety or cornerback. So they might be going after a month or two lane or Caleb down. So it's like, we need to communicate. We need a top level communicator leader for our defense, which means, OK, there may be going Caleb down as we're going sunny styles. We need a guy that can get after the quarterback on an every down basis. OK, they're looking for David Bailey, Ruben Bay and Junior. Adam Peters, very, very good. You actually, if you watch him answer this question, while I'm watching him answer this question, I should say, you kind of watch like there's some, there's some like, like compressing his lips, he's like kind of doing some of these facial features and things like that, which really tells you that he's thinking about how he's answering this question because there is knowledge there, there's knowledge in his head that he does not want to come out of his mouth. So he's literally sealing his mouth saying, like, oh, don't, don't, don't say that. Say this instead. So I think he's being very deliberate with his words, very deliberately saying that there

18:36are multiple players that are going to be a big outfit, also deliberately saying that there are multiple positions they could go after in the NFL draft. Not because I think it's a bold phase lie, but because that's what I need to say, despite the fact that I know that, I mean, they're honestly maybe one dude, like there may be one defender where they're like, hey, if sunny style is on that board, we're taking him, but I can't say that and I can't give any indication of that. So I've got to seal my lips from the truth, put out what I want everybody to hear. So again, a little bit of truth in every lie. So I think there is certainly truth and, you know, you're getting a good player at seven, there's more than one guy that can make an impact on the watchman's defense. Certainly, but I do get from the body language, the combination, the use of the language. It's almost like protesting too much. AP was too general for me to believe that he doesn't have a target in mind if he goes defense at number seven. So that's been our fact or fiction, pre-draft press conference with that. And Peter's again, I had fun doing it. Hopefully you guys enjoy this a little bit as well. Next time I'm on lockdown commanders, we're going to talk safety, speaking of Caleb

19:37Downs, where does he rank on our trait fit big board? I appreciate you coming back for that episode. Appreciate you coming through for this episode and any other episodes. And in between them, if you need to find me, you can do so at D Harrison 82 on X or at D Harrison underscore 82 on Instagram, or you can just shoot me a text message by becoming an all-access member of the everyday club, lock down commanders out supercars.com to do that today to the everydayers. I do appreciate you coming through today and every other day. And to everybody out there, I appreciate you coming through for today's episode until I see you again. Please, if you're out about be safe, be kind, and we will talk in real soon right here on locks on commanders, part of the locks on podcast network your team every day. Hi, friend, it's your inner child calling and they want your rose and a new adventure. What the best is besties on earth?

20:37Find your moment at Walt Disney World Resort. Liberty Mutual customizes your car and home insurance to save you money. That's it. That's the ad. No bells and whistles. No, guys, I said no bells and whistles. No. Trambones are fun. Get Liberty Mutual.com and make the switch today. What's up, everybody? This is Ross Jackson, one of the hosts of the Lockdown Podcasts Network, and if you haven't heard yet, we started a club and we would love for you to join. It's called the Everydayer Club, and one of the things that you get as a member is an ad-free version of the podcast that you're listening to right now. It works with whatever podcast app you already used, same episodes every day, just no ad. There's also a member's only group chat for fans of your team plus a lot more. You can check it out by tapping the Everydayer Club link in the show notes.