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Commanders recently met with OL prospect with a terrific nickname

· Yahoo Sports

Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters has a type. If you look at the trend from when he was first named Washington's GM in 2024, Peters often targets players with high-level athleticism. Don't let his free-agency spending over the first two years fool you. That was about building depth on a depleted roster. When Peters said in January that his offseason mission was to get "younger and faster," he meant it.

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In free agency, Peters focused on players coming off their rookie contracts. Those players were versatile and athletic. When focusing on athleticism, Peters is a big fan of the Relative Athletic Score (RAS) metric. The RAS was created by Kent Lee Platte. It's a metric that measures a prospect's athletic profile relative to their position based on testing measurements.

Several of the players Washington has shown interest in ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft have higher RAS scores. You can add another to that list. Per Justin Melo of Sports Illustrated, the Commanders recently met with Wyoming guard Caden Barnett at his pro day. The 6-foot-3, 316-pound Barnett put on a show at his pro day, running the 40-yard dash in 5.05 seconds at 316 points, recording a 31" vertical leap, a 4.63-second shuttle and a 7.65-second time in the 3-cone drill.

A three-year starter for the Cowboys, Barnett is projected to be a Day 3 pick. Washington has four picks on Day 3.

The Commanders have both guard spots filled, with Sam Cosmi at right guard and Chris Paul expected to battle Brandon Coleman at left guard. But you always look for younger depth. However, Barnett has positional flexibility. Could Peters view him as an option at center to compete with Nick Allegretti?

Here's what Barnett told Melo about his NFL position.

"I definitely think I’m an interior player," he said. "Whether that’s at guard or center, I have the versatility needed to play all three. I’m very versatile that way. If I need to bail us out of a jam, I believe I can play tackle in a pinch, if needed."

When asked if he would describe himself as powerful in a phone booth or athletic in space, Barnett gave this terrific answer.

"Oh, powerful in a phone booth," he told Melo. "Without question. I like to punch somebody in the mouth right off the ball. That’s how I play the game. That’s my style of play. I always say I was meant to play football in the 1980s or 1990s. That’s the era of football where you could really let it loose (laughs). That’s what I’m meant to do."

That should be music to the ears of Peters and head coach Dan Quinn.

So, about that RAS score.

Finally, perhaps the best part about Barnett is his nickname — Vanilla Gorilla.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders recently met with Wyoming G Caden Barnett

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