COMMANDERS MOCK DRAFT GRADE D-

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Smash it up! D-

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Letter grade with a four-component score, written analysis, and a pick-by-pick breakdown for every selection in this saved mock.

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Washington Commanders

Best value of the weekend goes to the Commanders for Wheatley: D-.

by The Top Cat · 2026 NFL Draft · 16 picks · 5 steals · 3 reaches
Value B
Need B
Trades F
Future C-

Every swap seemed to tilt away from the Commanders, and the value they bled adds up to real damage.

They are betting Black proves the room right and everyone else wrong. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.

Landing Wheatley that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers.

In the end, a class the front office will want to grow past quickly.

Pick-by-Pick

R1.30 · Pick 30 · Sonny Styles · LB · rank 11
In No. 30 they get a three-down second-level presence, and a steal at that. Need was not the driver here.
R1.31 · Pick 31 · Chris Brazzell II · WR · rank 29
In the 31st pick they get a go-to option on the outside. Exactly the need they had to hit.
R2.23 · Pick 55 · Gennings Dunker · OG · rank 52
They did well to land Gennings Dunker in the Round 2 slot, just ahead of his grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R3.1 · Pick 65 · Lee Hunter · DT · rank 49
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Lee Hunter in the 65th overall pick. A need, and now a little less of one.
R3.7 · Pick 71 · Elijah Sarratt · WR · rank 77
No edge and no loss on Elijah Sarratt in pick No. 71; it is a wash and a sensible one. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R3.23 · Pick 87 · Jalon Kilgore · CB · rank 104
A premium they did not need to pay, Jalon Kilgore a notch or two before his time. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R4.12 · Pick 112 · Julian Neal · CB · rank 119
Julian Neal in pick No. 112 is fair value, right on his grade. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R4.23 · Pick 123 · Zakee Wheatley · S · rank 90
Somehow Zakee Wheatley was still sitting there in No. 123, and they pounced on premier safety value. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
R4.25 · Pick 125 · Sam Hecht · C · rank 92
A offensive lineman of that caliber at the 125th pick is the definition of value, full stop. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R5.3 · Pick 143 · Isaiah World · OT · rank 147
They took Isaiah World at par in pick 143, which is nothing to complain about. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R5.40 · Pick 180 · Domani Jackson · CB · rank 179
Domani Jackson at the 180th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R6.2 · Pick 183 · VJ Payne · S · rank 200
They went early on VJ Payne in slot 183, and the value did not follow. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
R6.17 · Pick 198 · J'Mari Taylor · RB · rank 194
Fair-plus on J'Mari Taylor, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R6.21 · Pick 202 · Kaelon Black · RB · rank 226
They talked themselves into Kaelon Black at Round 6, Pick 21, and the board did not agree. It fills a real need, too.
R6.28 · Pick 209 · Taylen Green · QB · rank 193
Taylen Green at the Round 6 slot is money in the bank, a quarterback taken below his worth. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R7.17 · Pick 233 · Miles Kitselman · TE · rank 235
A market-rate tight end, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Miles Kitselman. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
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