D-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders cashed the board's mistake on Hunter: D-.
by The Top Cat ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 1 reaches
The trade table was where it all came apart. The Commanders shipped out far more than they hauled back, and no amount of spin dresses up the bill. It grades a D-, and the process earned it.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up. The cost of the Jackson reach is exactly the players who went right after him. However the rest shakes out, Hunter at that price is a win they earned.
The roster is better shaped than it was, with wide receiver chief among the fixes.
Add it up and it is a weekend the front office will hope everyone forgets, edge rusher very much included.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 7 they get a centerfielder for the defense at fair value. Need was not the driver here.
Chris Johnson at pick No. 34 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Lee Hunter in the 71st pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Nate Boerkircher at Round 5, Pick 18 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A premium they did not need to pay, Domani Jackson a notch or two before his time. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
By-the-book stuff, Matt Gulbin at slot 183 squarely in line with his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Taylen Green at the 209th pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A need, and now a little less of one.
Chase Roberts at slot 223 is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A straight-up fair deal on Josh Cuevas at the Round 7 slot, value and slot in agreement. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.