A-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders answered their biggest question with Mendoza. Grade: A-.
by skojec22 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 8 steals
· 0 reaches
When a board-topper like Kenyon Sadiq slides to pick 209, you do not overthink it, and the Commanders did not.
They have staked the next five years on Fernando Mendoza, which is the only story that really matters here. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own.
The offensive lineman hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
In the end it comes back to Fernando Mendoza, and a haul good enough to build on right away.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 18 they get a workhorse for the backfield, and a steal at that. A real need, handled.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Fernando Mendoza in slot 19. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
David Bailey in pick No. 71 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They robbed the room for Jordyn Tyson here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Steal is underselling it; Jermod McCoy at slot 163 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Sonny Styles at No. 187 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Somehow Kenyon Sadiq was still sitting there in pick 209, and they pounced on premier tight end value. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Taking Akheem Mesidor in Round 7, Pick 7 is close to grand larceny; an edge rusher that good had no business lasting this long. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.