B
Washington Commanders
The Commanders let Caldwell fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by Maddmax ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
The Commanders spent the weekend waiting on one name, and it fell: Jeff Caldwell, the No. 184 name on the board, in Round 6, Pick 28. More right than wrong, and a B to match.
That tight end hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. They will need Parker II to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 7 they get a bendy edge with upside. A real need, handled.
A reach on Brian Parker II in pick 86; the board had better options right there. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They read the board right and Malik Muhammad was the payoff at No. 109. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A straight-up fair deal on Bryce Lance at pick No. 123, value and slot in agreement. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
No edge and no loss on Zxavian Harris in the 147th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. It fills a real need, too.
They liked VJ Payne enough to skip the value, taking him in the Round 5 slot. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A market-rate cornerback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Ephesians Prysock. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Somehow Jeff Caldwell was still sitting there in the 209th overall pick, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They paid up for Jaydn Ott at No. 223 when waiting would have done the job. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.