C
Washington Commanders
A weekend that raised as many questions as it answered. The Commanders get a C.
by PATRICK305 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 33 picks
· 11 steals
· 20 reaches
You can fall in love with a player. You are not supposed to marry him in the wrong round. The Commanders did exactly that with Wade Woodaz in pick No. 138. Some smart calls, some head-scratchers, and a C in the wash.
The Brazzell II value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. Adding Michael Jackson by trade rounds out the weekend beyond the rookies.
Call it incomplete, and check back in a couple of seasons.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a quarterback's worst nightmare, reach and all. A real need, handled.
In slot 18 they get a building block for the line at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In pick No. 31 they get a downhill hitter at safety, though the board says they badly overpaid.
Tacario Davis at No. 33 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Sonny Styles slid further than he should have, and the 36th pick is lovely value for the linebacker. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Mike Washington Jr. this early at Round 2, Pick 8. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Isaiah World in slot 43, miles early. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A real head-scratcher, Markel Bell in pick No. 44 is miles ahead of his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pat Coogan at No. 45 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Zxavian Harris at Round 2, Pick 17 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Value said wait; Wesley Bissainthe in the Round 2 slot says they were not listening. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
They robbed the room for Akheem Mesidor here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Malik Benson well ahead of where he belonged. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A wild overpay on Eli Raridon in the 65th overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They reached a country mile for Jeremiah Wright at the 70th overall pick, and the board is aghast. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Olaivavega Ioane in the Round 3 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Anez Cooper. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They talked themselves into Wade Woodaz at No. 138, and the board did not agree. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
They barely believed it either: Jaishawn Barham still on the board at the 139th pick. A need, and now a little less of one.
Eli Heidenreich in slot 158 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They reached into another round for Isaiah Nwokobia, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
They did well to land Bryce Boettcher in pick 173, just ahead of his grade. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Taking Jacob Rodriguez in pick No. 174 is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Roman Hemby in the 207th pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
J'Mari Taylor in pick 208 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They paid a round early for Diego Pavia in Round 7, Pick 7, more than the board wanted. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A big swing on Diego Pounds at No. 225, well ahead of any board in the building. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
You do not let a wide receiver like Elijah Sarratt reach the Round 7 slot and blink. They did not. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A cornerback of that caliber at slot 250 is the definition of value, full stop. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Chris Brazzell II in the 251st overall pick, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Ephesians Prysock at slot 252 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Steal is underselling it; Tim Keenan III at pick No. 256 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The roster fit checks out.
They paid up for Brett Norfleet at Round 7, Pick 41 when waiting would have done the job. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.