The Washington Commanders will bring two former Big Ten starters to rookie minicamp, including a specialist
The Washington Commanders have reportedly signed eight undrafted free agents where they will join the six draft picks for offseason workouts, but the team will also add two more undrafted rookies out of the Big Ten to upcoming rookie minicamp.
Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported that former Iowa kicker Drew Stevens and Northwestern offensive lineman Martes Lewis have been invited to rookie minicamp. Ryan Fowler reported on Monday afternoon that Boise State defensive back Jeremiah Darby will also join the Commanders rookie minicamp.
Stevens joins the Commanders after a four year career with the Hawkeyes where he made 76 of his 95 career attempts. The good news is Stevens was near-automatic over his four seasons within 40 yards after making 44 of his 47 attempts, yet he made just 66.7% of his attempts beyond 40 yards while making all but two of his 126 career extra points. His career long came in an 18-16 loss against ninth ranked Oregon when Stevens drilled a 58 yard field goal.
Stevens also ended his career with the Hawkeyes with the program record for made field goals while making four walk off field goals across his 53 career games. ESPN ranked him as the third best kicker prospect in this year's draft while he ranked as the second best available kicker after the draft behind Dominic Zvada out of Michigan.
Lewis, a 6-foot-7, 350-pound offensive lineman, spent the first five years of his college career at Minnesota where he did not appear in 2020 and redshirted in 2021.
Yet he would then materialize into a contributor for the Gophers over his final three seasons where he appeared in 39 games and started in 15 games, 13 at right guard with two at right tackle. Lewis then transferred to Northwestern where he appeared in all 13 games with 11 starts at right guard during his sixth season as a graduate student.
The towering offensive lineman now heads to Washington with a chance to stockpile depth as a likely guard in the NFL, though he ended the 2025 season allowing among the lowest pressure rates among Big Ten offensive linemen.
While Lewis could be a possible option at guard with size for a tackle, Washington also made the trenches a focus with one of the six available picks after selecting former Michigan State interior offensive lineman Matt Gulbin. Another former Big Ten lineman, Gulpin arrives in Washington as a strong candidate to join Nick Allegretti and Julian Good-Jones in the competition for the starting center in 2025.
Earby, meanwhile, adds to the possible defensive back additions after initially intending to suit up for the Eagles rookie mini-camp. Four of the seven career interceptions for the 6-foot-2 cornerback came in 2025 where he blossomed into an All-Mountain West second team selection. His 13 pass breakups ranked 14th in all of college football and led the conference as a senior.
Rookie minicamp is set to begin for the Commanders in May with the rookie football development program kicking off on May 11.