B
Washington Commanders
The Commanders won the night they stopped McAlister from sliding. Grade: B.
by skojec22 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 5 steals
· 1 reaches
You build a draft on nights like this. Eric McAlister had no business being available in pick No. 209, and the Commanders did the only sane thing and turned in the card.
A whole weekend of picks and quarterback is somehow still a want. The Tucker reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 15 they get a downhill thumper at linebacker, and a steal at that. More want than need.
In the 19th pick they get a lockdown presence outside. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A slide stopped in the Round 4 slot, with Deion Burks worth more than the price. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Nadame Tucker at pick 147 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Matt Gulbin at slot 187. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Fair-plus on Dallen Bentley, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
You do not let a wide receiver like Eric McAlister reach Round 6, Pick 28 and blink. They did not. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Zxavian Harris at pick No. 223 is money in the bank, a interior defensive lineman taken below his worth. It patches a soft spot without any drama.