B+
Washington Commanders
Slaughter should have been long gone. The Commanders pounced, and earned a B+.
by gormenghast20 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 3 steals
· 0 reaches
Give the war room a raise for the dealing alone. The Commanders came out ahead on every exchange that mattered, and it was not close. It nets out to a B+, which feels about right.
The Slaughter pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. The tight end hole is the one line item this class does not answer. Adding Boye Mafe by trade rounds out the weekend beyond the rookies.
On the needs board they went 5 of 8, with wide receiver the one that mattered most.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 7 they get a rangy last line of defense. More want than need.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Jake Slaughter reach Round 3, Pick 8 and blink. They did not. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Malik Benson in pick No. 147 lands just on the right side of the ledger. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They read the board right and Zane Durant was the payoff at the 187th pick. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They paid sticker price for Kaelon Black in the 209th overall pick, and that is fine. A need, and now a little less of one.
They let Brent Austin come to them and pounced at pick 239. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.