B-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders kept it disciplined and banked a B-.
by Maddmax ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 0 steals
· 4 reaches
The Commanders clearly saw something nobody else did in VJ Payne, taking him 36 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced. No fireworks, but a solid B-.
The tight end hole is the one line item this class does not answer. Job largely done: wide receiver settled and 4 of 8 of the wish list covered. The skill positions did well by the weekend.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 7 they get a workhorse for the backfield. A real need, handled.
They reached a country mile for Malik Muhammad at the Round 3 slot, and the board is aghast. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A real head-scratcher, VJ Payne in the 154th overall pick is miles ahead of his ranking. A minor need, but a need all the same.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jeff Caldwell this early at pick No. 162. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Ephesians Prysock at the 187th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They took Kaden Wetjen at par in slot 209, which is nothing to complain about. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Trey Zuhn III at the Round 7 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.