WASHINGTON — The Philadelphia Eagles offered a not-so-gentle reminder of how far the Commanders have to go to be able to beat the best. The Super Bowl champions racked up 459 yards — 229 of them rushing — and 55 points on Washington in the NFC championship game before their top-ranked defense throttled the Kansas City Chiefs for the biggest win.

As the Commanders continue to strengthen their roster and build around quarterback Jayden Daniels, improving their defense is a priority. It’s why general manager Adam Peters began to reconfigure the group once the offseason hit. He re-signed the leader of the defense, linebacker Bobby Wagner, before the start of free agency, then bulked up the defensive line and added more versatility to the secondary.

Peters should be able to find plenty more help in this week’s draft. The class of prospects is deep on defensive talent, particularly on the line, and could land Washington multiple starters. After reviewing Washington’s offense last week, here’s a closer examination of its defense and some draft prospects the team could target:

Commanders’ 2025 picks: Washington enters the draft with only five picks, and most are on Day 3 (rounds 4-7):

Round 1, No. 29 overall

Round 2, No. 61

Round 4, No. 128

Round 6, No. 205

Round 7, No. 245

Top offseason signings: LB Bobby Wagner, DT Javon Kinlaw, DL Deatrich Wise Jr., DE Jacob Martin, CB Jonathan Jones, S Will Harris.

Free agent losses: DT Jonathan Allen, DE Dante Fowler Jr., S Jeremy Chinn, CB Benjamin St-Juste.

Biggest needs: Edge rusher, cornerback, linebacker.

Defensive line: The Commanders wanted to get bigger up front, and they did — by nearly half a ton. Javon Kinlaw (6-foot-5, 319 pounds), Deatrich Wise Jr. (6-5, 271) and Eddie Goldman (6-3, 332) should give Washington a physical presence up front to help shore up its run defense. Peters, who was the San Francisco 49ers’ vice president of player personnel when they drafted Kinlaw in 2020, views him as a“tone setter,” while Wise has the positional flexibility to play anywhere in the box. Goldman is a true nose tackle. But while Washington made inroads to improve its run D, it needs more juice in its pass rush, especially after letting Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and last year’s sacks leader, Dante Fowler Jr. (10.5 sacks), go in free agency.

Washington could take another interior rusher at No. 29. But the greater need is arguably on the edge. Penn State’s Abdul Carter and Georgia’s Jalon Walker, widely regarded as among the top edge rushers in this draft, should be gone well before the Commanders pick, but the talent runs deep on the edge.

Players to watch

Edge James Pearce Jr., Tennessee: Pearce has the perfect frame — he’s tall, 6-5, but a lean 245 pounds — with rare speed; he ran a 4.47-second 40 at the NFL combine. He also has plenty of college production, having led the Volunteers in sacks in each of his last two seasons. Pearce is explosive off the line, a trait Quinn and Peters believe is essential, and plays with consistent effort.

Edge Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M: Stewart requires more projection. At 6-5, 267 with an 84 3/4-inch wingspan, he has the size and physical gifts to be a top pass rusher. He also has the explosiveness that Peters and Quinn covet; Stewart averaged the second fastest snap-to-pressure time last season behind Carter at 2.45 seconds, according to Sports Info Solutions. But his production at Texas A&M was minimal — only 1 1/2 sacks in each of his three seasons — in part because he struggles to finish.

Edge Mykel Williams, Georgia: Williams checks a lot of boxes for Quinn. The 20-year-old (he doesn’t turn 21 until June) has good size at 6-5, 267 pounds, and freakishly long arms (34 3/8 inches). He plays with power and proved his toughness last season as he played through a nagging ankle injury. Georgia coach Kirby Smart lauded Williams for his leadership off the field and versatility on it.

Edge Mike Green, Marshall: A one-year starter at Marshall, Green (6-3, 251) led the FBS with 17 sacks last season to earn second-team All-American and Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year honors. He plays with speed, power and explosiveness and appears every bit what Washington says it likes in defenders. But the vetting process will be crucial. Green was accused of sexual assault in high school and again at the University of Virginia, in 2022. Charges were not filed in either case, and Green denied any wrongdoing while speaking to reporters at the combine.

Linebacker: The Commanders re-signed Wagner to a one-year contract and that may be their most impactful deal of the offseason. At 34, Wagner is still playing at a high level and was a trusted voice in the locker room. After years of struggling at the position, Washington’s linebacking corps with Wagner and Frankie Luvu is now a strength and will remain in place for another year. But behind them, there’s much less certainty — or depth, for that matter. Outside of Martin, who can play outside linebacker, and special-teams ace Nick Bellore, the Commanders have only one other linebacker on the roster: Jordan Magee, a fifth-round pick last year. He played only 16 defensive snaps as a rookie.

Players to watch

Carson Schwesinger, UCLA:Schwesinger, like Peters back in the day, was a walk-on at UCLA. Schwesinger started at “Mike,” or middle linebacker, last year and led the FBS with 90 solo tackles, earning first-team all-America honors.

Barrett Carter, Clemson: Described by the Athletic’s Dane Brugler as “one of the best open-field pursuit defenders in this draft class,” Carter was a three-year starter for Clemson and regularly contributed on special teams. He finished his career with 2,482 snaps, the most by a Clemson linebacker, and two all-ACC honors.

Cornerback: The Commanders drafted Mike Sainristil in the second round last year and traded for Marshon Lattimore in November. But Washington still has a clear need at cornerback. Lattimore struggled after the trade, Sainristil was drafted to be the nickel back but shifted outside because of poor play and injuries elsewhere, and Benjamin St-Juste left in free agency. The Commanders’ signed versatile veteran Jonathan Jones in March, but he, too, may be better suited as a nickel. Finding another outside corner could be high on the Commanders’ priority list and they should have plenty of options.

Players to watch

Trey Amos, Mississippi: Let’s assume Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Michigan’s Will Johnson and Texas’s Jahdae Barron are all off the board by the 29th pick. Amos is viewed by multiple analysts as next in line, with the desired height (6-1), weight (195) and speed (4.43 in the 40 at the combine) for the position. He spent his first three years at Louisiana before transferring to Alabama in 2023 and then to Ole Miss after Nick Saban retired.

Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky: A multisport athlete growing up, Hairston was a two-year starter as field corner at Kentucky. In 2023, he led the SEC with five interceptions, two of which he ran back for touchdowns, and recorded a team-high six passes defended.

Azareye’h Thomas, Florida State: Thomas was a one-year starter as an outside corner at Florida State. He doesn’t have the 40 speed of some other corners, but he has good size and length, standing 6-1 and 197 pounds.

Safety: Jeremy Chinn brought some consistency to Washington’s defensive backfield last season. But he opted to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. The Commanders began to fill the void by signing Will Harris, another versatile DB who is capable of playing almost anywhere in the backfield. The team still has Quan Martin, a 2023 second-round pick who has become a staple of the defense, and reserves Jeremy Reaves and Percy Butler, two key special-teamers.

Players to watch

Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina: Regarded by many draft analysts as the top prospect at his position, Emmanwori is a bigger safety, at 6-3, 220 pounds, with impressive speed; he ran a 4.38-second 40 at the combine. He started three years at South Carolina, and led the team in tackles his freshman and junior seasons.

Malaki Starks, Georgia: Quinn loves versatility and Starks has plenty of it. The three-year starter can play the post, drop down in the box and move to the slot. He was an all-American his last two seasons at Georgia and led the Bulldogs in passes defended for his first two years.