C+
Washington Commanders
The Commanders landed square in the muddy middle: C+.
by Maddmax ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 1 steals
· 3 reaches
Call it belief, call it a gut call, but VJ Payne at pick 154 is 42 spots clear of consensus, and that is the headline. It washes out to a C+, no better and no worse.
That tight end hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. The Johnson pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged.
In the end, a coin-flip class: fine today, with a wide range of outcomes ahead.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 13th pick they get the heartbeat of the defense, reach and all. Need was not the driver here.
Connor Lew at the 80th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
By-the-book stuff, Malik Muhammad at slot 99 squarely in line with his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Fair-plus on De'Zhaun Stribling, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Emmett Johnson at the Round 4 slot is the proof. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
VJ Payne at pick No. 154 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Jadon Canady. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.