Jayden Daniels is smiling again as the Commanders nab another playmaker that will help the offense in Day 2 mock draft

The first round of the NFL Draft has come and passed us in the blink of an eye and the Washington Commanders certainly made its mark by drafting Oregon Ducks tackle Josh Conerly Jr. at 29 overall.

It was a bit of a surprise, as the Commanders traded for Laremy Tunsil and drafted Brandon Coleman in third round of last year's draft. Then there's versatile veteran Andrew Wylie in the mix, who is an excellent candidate for the swing tackle job.

Regardless, the Commanders still have some glaring needs as they head into Day 2, but they have just one pick at No. 61. That can certainly change though and even if it doesn't, what Adam Peters and Co. do with that pick will be almost as important as the Conerly Jr. selection, because of the aforementioned needs and the fact Washington won't pick again until No. 128 in Round 4.

So, with that being said, let's jump into this Day 2 mock.

Round 2, No. 61 overall: Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa Hawkeyes

Real quick: Washington won't be able to accumulate any addition Day 2 draft capital unless it takes a serious step backward pick-wise or includes draft capital of its own to trade away. That's just based off the value of No. 61 and how these deals work. Therefore, I won't suggest any hypothetical trades simply for the sake of this exercise although I believe the Commanders do trade back and get an extra pick or two, even if it's a small move.

Ok, back to the pick. Peters and Co. are clearly fine with taking whomever they deem is the best player, no matter what the position group currently looks like. They've shown a strong interest in the running back position throughout this process and had Johnson in on a Top-30 visit, so it looks like the stars will align, here.

Johnson is a big boy at 6-foot, 223 pounds and he models his game after the one and only Derrick Henry. Per Dane Brugler, he gained 1,060 yards after contact in 2024, which is insane to think about. A lot of running backs don't even gain more than 1,000 yards in a season, much less that much just breaking tackles.

He's a great fit for the Commanders' zone scheme, which they ran at a near-50/50 split alongside power in 2024. He's also a reliable pass-catcher and is good in pass pro, while possessing the ability to improve in both areas.

The only element that doesn't align with Johnson and what the Commanders really need out of their running back room is a home-run threat. However, when looking closely, the explosive element is nice, but the Commanders would rather play bully ball and just pound opposing defenses four-to-six yards at a time.

There's also the fact Washington returned all four running backs from last year and each one had their own level of success in various contexts. One could say Johnson, like Conerly Jr., is a more on the luxury pick side of things but he's a player that can help boost the offense if he turns out like the Commanders envision.

Honorable mentions: EDGE Oluafewmi Oladejo, EDGE Princely Umanmielen, WR Jaylen Royals, CB Darien Porter Jr., CB Nohl Williams, S Jonas Sanker