ASHBURN, Va. -- It wasn't a sign from above, but rather a letter from within that resonated with Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters when it came to making their first-round pick Thursday night.
After Washington selected tackle Josh Conerly Jr. as the No. 29 overall pick, Peters held up a note to the assembled coaches and front office staffers and told them with a big grin, "I got this on my desk the other day."
The note handwritten on a piece of 8.5X11 inch paper was courtesy of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. It had to do with their first-round pick.
Kliff left a note on AP's desk this week...
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 25, 2025
Manifestation works 😌 pic.twitter.com/CGjvfQdub0
Peters turned to head coach Dan Quinn and showed him the note, prompting Quinn to laugh. Another staffer could be heard saying, "That's good! That's good!"
Last season, Washington's offense under Kingsbury ranked seventh in yards and fifth in points. The Commanders added former San Francisco 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel Jr. and would like to find a running back in this draft. But Kingsbury understands that protecting quarterback Jayden Daniels, the 2024 offensive rookie of the year, is a must.
Daniels was sacked 22 times in his last seven games including the playoffs, after being sacked 25 times of his first 13 games. Daniels was also pressured 37.5 percent of the time or greater in his last seven games.
Conerly should help protect Daniels. He played left tackle at Oregon but after trading for Laremy Tunsil, that position is taken. So Conerly will either play right tackle or guard. Regardless, it's the pick Kingsbury wanted -- and his note left Conerly flattered.
"I think it was a pretty good note, to say the least," Conerly said. "It just really felt good to know that the person that's going to be calling plays really had a really good belief in me before anything even started."
