WASHINGTON — Adam Peters walked into Ashburn two years ago with a simple promise: build through the draft, supplement through free agency. It was the right philosophy. It was the San Francisco way. But after two full seasons and eight top-100 picks, the results aren’t just underwhelming—they are bordering on catastrophic.
Top 100 picks are the lifeblood of the NFL. Over the last decade, 70% of All-Pro selections came from this elite group. Successful teams hit on the majority. Washington? They are batting well below the Mendoza line. Peters hasn’t just missed; he has whiffed on talent that is currently thriving for rival franchises.
We are stripping away the excuses. Here is the cold, hard analysis of where this front office went wrong.
The 2024 Class: A Franchise QB Stranded on an Island
The Pick: Jayden Daniels (QB, RD1 #2)
Let’s start with the good news. Peters got the quarterback right. Despite a sophomore slump marred by injuries and inconsistent protection, Daniels remains a special talent. He has flashes of brilliance that keep this fanbase hoping. But a quarterback is only as good as the infrastructure around him, and that is where the rest of this class falls apart.
The Miss: Jer’Zhan Newton (DT, RD2 #36)
This pick hurts. Newton has been a ghost. Foot surgeries derailed his rookie year, and his 2025 campaign showed zero burst. He played 16 games as a rookie but made minimal impact. Now, he looks like a roster clogger rather than a cornerstone.
The One That Got Away: Cooper DeJean. While Newton was rehabbing, DeJean was making First-Team All-Pro for the Eagles in 2025. Washington handed a division rival a superstar to draft a rotational tackle with chronic foot issues.
The Day 2 Disaster: The Trade That Backfired
Peters’ decision to trade back with Philadelphia in the second round of 2024 will go down as one of the worst moves of his tenure. He turned pick #40 into Mike Sainristil and Ben Sinnott. Let’s look at the return on investment:
- Mike Sainristil (CB, RD2 #50): After a decent rookie flash, Sainristil fell off a cliff in 2025. He looked lost in coverage and physically overmatched. Is it the scheme? Maybe. But when you look at the alternative, it doesn’t matter.
- Ben Sinnott (TE, RD2 #53): Five starts in two years. 16 catches. 142 yards. Those aren’t starting tight end numbers; those are practice squad numbers. Sinnott has been a non-factor.
Who They Could Have Had: If Washington stays at #40, they select Edgerrin Cooper or Kool-Aid McKinstry. Both have become legitimate starters in this league. Instead, Washington opted for quantity over quality and ended up with neither.
Mid-Round Whiffs: Ignoring the Obvious
The Pick: Brandon Coleman (OL, RD3 #67)
Coleman was thrown into the fire at left tackle and got burned. The front office panic-traded for Laremy Tunsil the next offseason because they knew Coleman wasn’t the guy. He lost the right tackle job to a rookie and the left guard job to Chris Paul. He is a swing tackle at best.
The Miss: Calen Bullock (S). The Texans grabbed Bullock later in the third round, and he’s been a revelation—nine interceptions and a Pro Bowl nod in 2025. He is exactly the playmaker Washington’s secondary desperately needs.
The Pick: Luke McCaffrey (WR, RD3 #100)
McCaffrey is a nice story, but he’s a WR4. He chipped in 29 catches before his injury, but he doesn’t scare defenses.
The One That Got Away: Troy Franklin went two picks later. In Denver, Franklin exploded in 2025 with 65 catches for 709 yards and six touchdowns. He is a legitimate weapon; McCaffrey is a special teamer.
2025 Draft: Panic Picks?
RD1 #29: Josh Conerly (OT)
Drafting a tackle in the first round after trading for Tunsil and drafting Coleman the year prior screams poor planning. Conerly struggled mightily early on. Yes, he stabilized in the final six games, but for a first-round pick, “stabilized” isn’t the bar. We passed on Nick Emmanwori, who was a chess piece for Seattle’s Super Bowl run.
RD2 #61: Trey Amos (CB)
I’ll give Peters credit here. Before breaking his leg in Week 10, Amos was the best defender on the field. He led the team in passes defended and played with the grit this defense lacks. If he bounces back healthy, this is a hit.
The Verdict: 2-for-8 is a Firing Offense
Adam Peters has had eight shots at top-100 talent. He hit on Jayden Daniels and Trey Amos. That’s it. He missed on Newton, Sinnott, and Coleman, and the jury is out on Conerly.
You cannot build a contender when you waste second and third-round picks. The roster holes we see today—the lack of playmakers in the secondary, the inconsistency at linebacker, the depth issues on the O-line—are direct results of these drafts. Peters enters the 2026 offseason with only two top-100 picks and a massive amount of pressure. If he doesn’t find a way to replicate the success of other franchises, the “rebuild” might need a rebuild of its own.
Next Step: Stay tuned for Part 2 of “The Cold, Hard Truth,” where we break down the Salary Cap situation and which free agents Washington must cut to survive.
