A-
Washington Commanders
Wheatley should have been long gone. The Commanders pounced, and earned a A-.
by skojec22 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 10 steals
· 2 reaches
You could see the war room lean forward. Zakee Wheatley at Round 4, Pick 11 is the sort of fall that does not happen, except it just did. It holds up to a second look, which is why it earns the A-.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher. They will need Jatta to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it.
A strong weekend's work, and a rare one to find this little fault with.
Pick-by-Pick
Brandon Cisse at the Round 2 slot is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A tidy bit of business in pick 71, where Omar Cooper Jr. graded well above the range. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
You do not let a tight end like Max Klare reach the 97th pick and blink. They did not. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They barely believed it either: Zakee Wheatley still on the board at pick No. 111. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Mike Washington Jr. at No. 126 is the proof. It fills a real need, too.
The board had Will Lee III higher than the 130th overall pick, and the cornerback fell to them anyway. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Good price on Isaiah World in Round 5, Pick 7, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Skyler Gill-Howard in slot 151 lands just on the right side of the ledger. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Nothing to complain about; Kevin Coleman Jr. went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Kage Casey in pick 165 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Jalen Farmer at pick No. 168. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Keagen Trost at Round 6, Pick 6 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Noah Whittington at No. 209 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jimmy Rolder slid further than he should have, and the 220th overall pick is lovely value for the linebacker. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They jumped the gun on Isaiah Jatta, taking him earlier than his grade liked. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Fair-plus on Aiden Fisher, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Zavion Thomas slipping to the 227th overall pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.