B
Washington Commanders
The Commanders won the night they stopped Taaffe from sliding. Grade: B.
by Maddmax ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
When a board-topper like Michael Taaffe slides to slot 106, you do not overthink it, and the Commanders did not.
For all the activity, tight end went untouched, which is hard to explain. Reaching for Lew left real value on the table behind him.
They were the ones paying the moving tax this weekend. On the needs board they went 4 of 8, with wide receiver the one that mattered most.
Good work on the whole, with tight end the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 22nd overall pick they get a potential shutdown corner. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Connor Lew. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Bryce Lance in pick No. 77 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Somehow Michael Taaffe was still sitting there in the 106th pick, and they pounced on premier safety value. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Nicholas Singleton at slot 116 is money in the bank, a running back taken below his worth. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A top-tier cornerback at a bargain, Devin Moore in Round 4, Pick 23, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Isaiah World at pick 147 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Nothing to complain about; Matt Gulbin went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.