B-
Washington Commanders
Caldwell should have been long gone. The Commanders pounced, and earned a B-.
by Maddmax ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 3 steals
· 1 reaches
The phones were a trap the Commanders kept walking into, shipping out surplus on nearly every deal. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B-.
The Caldwell pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. The tight end spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
Payne has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 31 they get a green-dot type in the middle, outstanding value to boot. More want than need.
Keionte Scott at the 63rd pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
No edge and no loss on Jadarian Price in the 71st overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Connor Lew slid further than he should have, and the Round 3 slot is lovely value for the offensive lineman. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Malik Benson in pick No. 147 is fair value, right on his grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They liked VJ Payne enough to skip the value, taking him in slot 187. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They will replay Jeff Caldwell at Round 6, Pick 28 for years; that is how good the value is. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Thaddeus Dixon at pick No. 223 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.