ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Beefing up the protection for franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Washington Commanders selected Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. with the 29th pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.
Audible cheers could be heard inside the team facility before the pick was announced in person at the draft in Green Bay. General manager Adam Peters said he and his staff were holding their breath hoping Conerly, “clearly the highest player on our board” would still be there.
“Everybody was just really pumped to get him,” Peters said. “He’s really the total package. You look at the tape and you see what an incredible athlete he is. ... Just great feet, great lower-body structure — super talented for a big man”
Taking Conerly upgrades the line in front of Daniels, who was sacked three times in the NFC title game loss to eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia. It's the latest upgrade building around Daniels after Peters acquired standout left tackle Laremy Tunsil from Houston and traded for wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
“Every move we make, we’re trying to maximize him and really the whole team,” Peters said.
Taking Conerly also comes after the division-rival New York Giants selected edge rusher Abdul Carter with the third pick. Conerly and Oregon beat Carter and Penn State last season, and his performance in that game contributed to the Commanders valuing the 21-year-old.
“They way he competed against Abdul Carter, he went toe to toe with Abdul Carter, the best pass rusher in the draft,” Peters said. “He played really well.”
A 6-foot-5, 311-pounder from Seattle, Conerly started 14 games at left tackle for the Ducks as a junior last season. He said it “means the world” to get a chance to play in front of Daniels and try to keep him upright.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity just to get out there and block for one of the best,” Conerly said.
Conerly was a third-team AP All-America selection and first-team all Big Ten. He could move to the right side after the Commanders n last month and should compete for a starting spot.
“Whatever’s asked, that’s what I’m doing,” said Conerly, who did not hesitate when asked about potentially playing right tackle. "Hey, if that’s what I’ve got to do, that’s what I’ve got to do.”
The Commanders went offensive line over help in the secondary, at linebacker or at defensive end. They did not trade back out of the first round like others did just ahead of them, stockpiling picks later in this draft and in future years.
“We got a ton of calls when we were on the clock,” Peters said. “If he was on the board, we weren’t going to trade back. In our minds it was not worth risking missing out on him.”
Team co-owner Magic Johnson expressed his approval on social media, posting: “Commanders Nation I’m truly excited about our pick OT Josh Conerly Jr. from Oregon. Welcome to the DMV!”
Peters said Daniels got woken up by the call informing him Conerly was the pick.
“He went back to bed,” Peters said. “He’s happy.”
Sitting at 29 was the latest Washington has waited to make a draft pick since No. 44 in 2014, when the team did not have its first-rounder because of the trade to move up to select Robert Griffin III second in 2012.
After trading for Tunsil and Samuel, the Commanders have four picks the rest of the draft: one each in the second (61st), fourth (128th), sixth (205th) and seventh (245th) rounds. Peters said he did not feel pressure to put an emphasis on defense.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
FILE - Oregon offensive lineman Josh Conerly Jr. runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov pounced on a loose faceoff puck for his sixth postseason goal while Frederik Andersen had 21 saves as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 4-0 on Saturday night for a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series.
Svechnikov sprang into the circle to beat John Carlson to the puck and beat Logan Thompson at 12:34 of the second for the game’s first goal in what turned out to be the start of Carolina’s game-seizing surge.
And Andersen bought time for the Hurricanes to find that groove after a strong start by the Capitals, on the way to posting his first postseason shutout for Carolina and the franchise's first in three years.
“Clearly that was the key to our win tonight, was that first period where clearly they were on their game and we were a little on our heels,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "That's what goaltending does. It keeps us in the game. And then I thought we got to it in that second half of the game.
"But it could've been a lot different if we're chasing it.”
Jack Roslovic added a power-play goal late in the second period for the Hurricanes, while Eric Robinson charged up the left side to beat Thompson early in the third to make it 3-0.
Jackson Blake added a clinching power-play finish near the post late as the Hurricanes improved to 4-0 at home in the playoffs.
“It's pretty obvious when we're not playing it and maybe trying to do something different or do too much," Robinson said. "So yeah, we just got to our game.”
The Hurricanes dominated play in the series opener but needed Jaccob Slavin's overtime goal to push through on the road. The Capitals did a better job of countering in Game 2 and tied the series behind a strong two-way effort from Tom Wilson.
The Capitals seemingly had reversed the script on Carolina with a strong start, which included Andersen having to stand up to an immediate skating-in chance by Wilson and an early shot from Taylor Raddysh while the Hurricanes struggled to get on their aggressive game.
Thompson finished with 24 saves for Washington, while the Capitals managed just 10 shots in the final 39+ minutes.
“Whenever we're playing from behind, it's not a good recipe for our group,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. "Like, we just don't have the firepower that can snap it around, we're going to be able to score five or six goals. It's just not our makeup.
“So once we start to trail, we start to press and then you see some uncharacteristic things. We can't some string some plays together and it gets a little sloppy.”
Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Monday night in Raleigh.
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Washington Capitals' Connor McMichael (24) tries to chip the puck past Carolina Hurricanes' Jalen Chatfield (5) during the first period of Game 3 of an NHL hockey Semi-final round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Washington Capitals' Nic Dowd (26) controls the puck in front of Carolina Hurricanes' Jaccob Slavin (74) during the first period of Game 3 of an NHL hockey Semi-final round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov, center, celebrates his goal with Sebastian Aho (20) during the second period of Game 3 of an NHL hockey Semi-final round playoff series against the Washington Capitals in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' Sean Walker (26) clears the puck away from goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) and Washington Capitals' Lars Eller (20) during the first period of Game 3 of an NHL hockey Semi-final round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov (37) celebrates his goal against the Washington Capitals during the second period of Game 3 of an NHL hockey Semi-final round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
