The opinions expressed in this article do not reflect those of the team.

The Command Center pod examined the Washington Commanders entire 2025 draft class to see who's stock is up after their rookie seasons. Here's who analysts Logan Paulsen, Fred Smoot and Santana Moss thought had the best return on investment, a value they want to hold, best value and more.

Best return on investment

• Smoot: "Bill Croskey-Merritt. We invested a seventh-round pick, and we got a starting running back. We invested in a guy that didn't play his senior year. We got a starting running back. And not just a starting running back; a big-time game breaker.
• Moss: I would go with Bill also. I would also go [Brandon] Coleman as one of those guys. I think...he's one of those depth spots. We needed him this late in the season. He was able to fill in. He could have been a guard. He could have played tackle a lot. When you have a guy that's interchangeable, that can do more for your money...to me, I feel like that's a huge return on our investment.
• Paulsen: [Jordan Magee] is gonna be my best return on investment, because he's a guy that every year got a little bit better, paid a dividend, working in the right direction, and I think he's poised if Bobby Wagner chooses not to come back or whatever happens, he can put that green dot on. And for a fifth-round pick to be wearing the green dot, that seems like a good ROI.

Stock to hold

• Smoot: I'm gonna go with Johnny Newton. I'm gonna hold right there because health, finally getting to practice a lot, finally feeling that NFL out, I think the best play from Johnny Newton is in the future. I'm gonna hold with Johnny Newton. I'm waiting on greatness.
• Moss: I can go with Trey Amos or [Mike] Sainristil. I feel like they're both in the same category. I'm holding both of those guys. Trey showed you out the gate, to me, he was arguably our best corner up until he got injured. You got a guy in Sainristil...who led the team in picks again. At the end of the day, he's showing you that he's valuable. He might be undersized at times, but he's showing that he's somebody to be reckoned with out in the secondary.
• Paulsen: Jayden Daniels, because last year he was to the mood. He was everybody's hot stock. And this year, everybody's like, 'Oh, he's hurt. What's going on?' Hold on to that, man, because I think you've got a franchise quarterback, and I think after this offseason, he's gonna be motivated. He's gonna be focused. He's gonna come back better than ever.

Best value

• Smoot: Mine would be [Luke] McCaffrey. I thought as the year started to go on, he was headed to the Pro Bowl as a returner. He was leading the NFL in returns. And the next thing you know, guess who I see dunking on people scoring touchdowns at wide receiver? It was McCaffrey. I'm telling you right now, for what we paid for this guy, for what he's turning into, we got us one.
• Moss: I'm gonna go with [Josh] Conerly. I just like when you have who, to me, was one of our top draft picks, and...played every game. Every snap. He had some highs, and he had some lows, but I can live with that knowing that he's a tendy. He's a guy that we're gonna bring up the right way. He learned by trial by error, and that's one of the best ways to learn.
• Paulsen: I think a guy that we all forget about is [Javontae] Jean-Baptiste. I think Jean-Baptiste, when he's healthy, has a shot to be a guy. And maybe this is best return on investment or a stock you should hold onto, but...the size, the physicality, the power. He's gotta put it all together; he's gotta stay healthy. But I think if he's healthy, it's a great value.

To the moon

• Smoot: Jayden Daniels. Through the roof. After having that success his first year, then him being hurt, in and out of the game plan, him watching Caleb [Williams] have success, him watching Bo Nix take his team to the playoffs for the second time, him watching...there's a fire burning right there. And I think he's gonna outball his rookie year in passing yards and rushing touchdowns. Through the roof.
• Moss: I got Jordan Magee. I think what we've seen this year is what I've been waiting for. We talked about him a year ago, wondering why he wasn't on the field. So explosive, well put together. The man is like a muscle. What I saw this year is what you need to see in a guy that you know that's trending in the right direction. We talked about Bobby being there. We talked about wanting Bobby back for guys just like Jordan Magee, because you wanna teach him how to be a pro.
• Paulsen: Mine is Bill Croskey-Merritt. When you see a guy that's got that home run ability at the running back position in addition to the lateral agility, the contact balance, I think he's a 1,000-yard rushing [next year]. Get more opportunities. Get him more involved in the pass game. He strikes me as a guy who has a ton of ability to make this offense really dynamic.