C-
Washington Commanders
The Commanders let Jones fall and pounced. Final grade: C-.
by The Top Cat ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 4 steals
· 1 reaches
You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The Commanders did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high.
The Jones pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
Reaching for Black left real value on the table behind him.
In the end, a coin-flip class: fine today, with a wide range of outcomes ahead.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 28 they get a downhill thumper at linebacker, outstanding value to boot. Need was not the driver here.
In the 29th pick they get a matchup problem out wide at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They will replay Lee Hunter at the 69th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Zakee Wheatley is a better player than pick No. 106 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They robbed the room for Logan Jones here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Julian Neal in the Round 4 slot lands just on the right side of the ledger. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Nate Boerkircher in pick No. 164 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A reach for Kaelon Black in the 209th overall pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. The roster fit checks out.