A-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: A-.
by Maddmax ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 2 steals
· 1 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.
The Parker II pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. The tight end hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
That Johnson pick is the receipt they will wave around later.
A strong weekend's work, and a rare one to find this little fault with.
Pick-by-Pick
A clean, defensible pick in the 35th pick with a little surplus value in Chris Brazzell II. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Good price on Chris Johnson in the Round 2 slot, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A big swing on Brian Parker II at pick No. 71, well ahead of any board in the building. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Emmett Johnson in No. 110 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It fills a real need, too.
No drama and no debate, Malik Benson went about where he belonged in Round 5, Pick 2. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They took Zxavian Harris at par in the 147th overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A market-rate safety, with the board and the slot shaking hands on VJ Payne. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Jadon Canady in pick 209 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Nice patience on Keyshaun Elliott, who had no business lasting to the Round 7 slot. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.