B-
Washington Commanders
Grand theft in pick No. 223: the Commanders steal McAlister and grade out a B-.
by Maddmax ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 1 steals
· 2 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Commanders watched Eric McAlister slide 26 picks past his grade and did not hesitate.
They will regret leaving tight end for another day if the season turns on it. They will need Whittington to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
They left with wide receiver solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 7 they get a downhill hitter at safety. Need was not the driver here.
They liked Connor Lew enough to skip the value, taking him in pick No. 71. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They took Malik Benson at par in Round 5, Pick 7, which is nothing to complain about. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
No edge and no loss on Ephesians Prysock in the Round 6 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Noah Whittington in pick 209 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Eric McAlister in slot 223 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.