Washington Commanders: Grading the Christian Holmes selection

The Washington Commanders selected defensive back Christian Holmes with their final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Let’s grade the addition.

With their final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft (240th overall), the Washington Commanders selected defensive back Christian Holmes out of Oklahoma State University. Let’s break it down and grade the pick.

Christian Holmes is an interesting case. Listed at 6’1″, 205 pounds he can be a very physical cornerback. That doesn’t take away from his athleticism though. Not the fastest, but he can jump out of the gym and that’s a phenomenal trait for a defensive back to have.

Holmes proved himself in some tough tests at Oklahoma State. He tended to look solid in coverage and gives Washington some more depth in the secondary. Not only is he depth, but he could sneak his way into a bigger role early in his career. For a seventh-rounder that’s great to hear.

Now, you also have to remember this is a seventh-rounder. So while the potential is there, Holmes still has a lot to prove and a lot to do. Defensive back is a very competitive position. And while the Commanders aren’t swimming in Gold with their unit, they have a lot of bodies that can contribute in some way.

With that in mind, Christian Holmes could be someone we could hear from pretty quickly. He’s going to have to impress before that though.

If Washington was looking for a guy with a high ceiling, Holmes is hard to argue with here. Not exactly young, but he could start making an impact early on. So it’s not like you’ll be waiting for a few years for him to start seeing the field.

Seventh-round picks are never guarantees. So you look for the guys that jump out at you for a few different reasons. Holmes has the athleticism and has proven himself in coverage against some major competition. That’s more than enough for the Commanders to decide he’s worth a look.

Final Grade: B-