C
Washington Commanders
The Commanders bled value on every deal, hence the C.
by Maddmax ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
The tape said wait; the Commanders did not. Noah Whittington went at pick 187, a good 32 picks before the board was ready.
Lew at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. The trade table is where this weekend went wrong.
A whole weekend of picks and tight end is somehow still a want. They went 5 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
So much rides on Mansoor Delane that the real verdict is a season or two away.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 13 they get a sticky cover corner. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Darrell Jackson Jr. in the Round 3 slot is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. The roster fit checks out.
Connor Lew in the 87th pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A quiet steal in the 93rd overall pick: Zakee Wheatley for less than the market said. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Bryce Lance at slot 121 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Malik Benson. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Isaiah World in the Round 5 slot lands just on the right side of the ledger. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A wild overpay on Noah Whittington in No. 187, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It fills a real need, too.
They took Jadon Canady at par in pick 209, which is nothing to complain about. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Jimmy Rolder in pick No. 223. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.