B+
Washington Commanders
Nobody dealt better than the Commanders this weekend: B+.
by Maddmax ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
The Commanders bet big and early on VJ Payne, 40 picks ahead of the board. Bold does not always mean right. It nets out to a B+, which feels about right.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. Getting Moore where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. They will regret leaving tight end for another day if the season turns on it.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a difference-maker at receiver. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Anthony Hill Jr. at pick 57 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A minor itch, scratched.
They barely believed it either: Devin Moore still on the board at pick No. 116. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Bryce Lance at the 124th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They reached into another round for VJ Payne, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Matt Gulbin slid further than he should have, and No. 187 is lovely value for the offensive lineman. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
No drama and no debate, Zxavian Harris went about where he belonged in pick No. 209. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
By-the-book stuff, Noah Whittington at the Round 6 slot squarely in line with his ranking. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Trey Zuhn III at No. 223 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.