B
Washington Commanders
Good, not great, for the Commanders: B.
by Maddmax ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Commanders spent slot 147 on VJ Payne, a name the board had a full 49 spots lower. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Hill Jr.. The tight end spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. A small leak at the table, if not a fatal one.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a ballhawk on the outside. The biggest hole, addressed.
They barely believed it either: Anthony Hill Jr. still on the board at Round 2, Pick 30. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Connor Lew in No. 71 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They robbed the room for Ted Hurst here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
VJ Payne in slot 147 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A minor itch, scratched.
They took Jeff Caldwell at par in pick No. 189, which is nothing to complain about. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They went early on Jadon Canady in No. 199, and the value did not follow. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Noah Whittington at slot 209 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Jimmy Rolder at Round 7, Pick 7 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.