C
Washington Commanders
The Commanders got the worse of every deal, and it shows in the C.
by Maddmax ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
The Commanders spent real capital to be 32 picks early on Bryce Lance, and the board is going to hold them to it. Call it a C and check back in two years.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. Landing Stribling that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. The tight end hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
The future picks help the war chest more than the win-now roster.
The verdict is a shrug for now, with the swing picks left to write the real ending.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 32 they get a run-stuffing presence up front, and a steal at that. A real need, handled.
They reached a country mile for Bryce Lance at the 64th overall pick, and the board is aghast. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Keionte Scott in pick 71 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A straight-up fair deal on Keylan Rutledge at slot 81, value and slot in agreement. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A slide stopped in No. 96, with Connor Lew worth more than the price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid sticker price for Malik Muhammad in the Round 3 slot, and that is fine. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
De'Zhaun Stribling at pick No. 124 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid a round early for Demond Claiborne in slot 147, more than the board wanted. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
VJ Payne in the 179th pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It adds depth where they could use a little.
No drama and no debate, Jadon Canady went about where he belonged in the 223rd overall pick. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.