C
Washington Commanders
The Commanders lost the trade table, and the C tells the story.
by Maddmax ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
Somebody took the Commanders to the cleaners. The deals they made bled real value, and the whole class wears it.
That is a wide receiver worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. The Heidenreich reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. For all the activity, tight end went untouched, which is hard to explain.
So much rides on David Bailey that the real verdict is a season or two away.
Pick-by-Pick
They took David Bailey at par in the Round 1 slot, which is nothing to complain about. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They let Christen Miller come to them and pounced at slot 71. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
No drama and no debate, Davison Igbinosun went about where he belonged in No. 81. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Taking Brenen Thompson in pick 124 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They paid up for Demond Claiborne at Round 5, Pick 7 when waiting would have done the job. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
VJ Payne in the 187th overall pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A tidy bit of business in pick No. 209, where Ephesians Prysock graded well above the range. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They talked themselves into Eli Heidenreich at the 223rd pick, and the board did not agree. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.