B+
Washington Commanders
The Commanders fleeced the room on the phones and earned a B+.
by Maddmax ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 2 reaches
The trade table was a mismatch, and the Commanders were on the right end of it, hauling in a fortune in surplus value. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B+.
The tight end hole is the one line item this class does not answer. Reaching for Payne left real value on the table behind him. Adding Tyrel Dodson by trade rounds out the weekend beyond the rookies.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 11 they get a true top target at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
Chris Johnson is a better player than pick No. 43 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A tidy bit of business in Round 3, Pick 7, where Jadarian Price graded well above the range. It fills a real need, too.
Fair-plus on Trey Zuhn III, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Malik Benson in No. 147 is fair value, right on his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They paid up for Beau Stephens at the 151st overall pick when waiting would have done the job. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They liked VJ Payne enough to skip the value, taking him in the 187th pick. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
No edge and no loss on Justin Jefferson in the Round 6 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
By-the-book stuff, Jadon Canady at the Round 7 slot squarely in line with his ranking. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.