B
Washington Commanders
The Commanders cashed the board's mistake on Caldwell: B.
by Maddmax ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 2 reaches
This is the pick they will still be bragging about in July: Jeff Caldwell, the No. 192 name on the board, stolen at slot 223. More right than wrong, and a B to match.
Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. Lew has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. They went 5 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Almost all the early capital went to that side of the ball.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 24 they get a No. 1 receiver. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Nothing to complain about; Chris Johnson went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid up for Connor Lew at Round 3, Pick 6 when waiting would have done the job. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
No drama and no debate, Mike Washington Jr. went about where he belonged in No. 71. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Hezekiah Masses at the Round 5 slot is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They went early on VJ Payne in slot 187, and the value did not follow. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They did well to land Dallen Bentley in pick 209, just ahead of his grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Jeff Caldwell in the 223rd pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.