B-
Washington Commanders
Nothing loud, just a tidy B- for the Commanders.
by Alfonso99 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 0 steals
· 4 reaches
Some picks age like wine; Patrick Payton at the 209th pick will need to, sitting 49 spots clear of his grade.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through tight end. They left with wide receiver solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off. They reloaded the coverage unit in bulk.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the tight end spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get an enforcer at safety. Need was not the driver here.
They jumped the gun on Malachi Fields, taking him earlier than his grade liked. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Kaleb Elarms-Orr this early at slot 147. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Pat Coogan at pick 187 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Patrick Payton at the 209th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The roster fit checks out.
No drama and no debate, Jadon Canady went about where he belonged in No. 223. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.