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2026 Nfl Draft Early Names To Know For The Washington Commanders

Bonisiwe Shabane
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2026 nfl draft early names to know for the washington commanders

At 3–7 through 10 weeks, the Commanders find themselves in familiar territory — searching for answers and building blocks for the future. And while there’s optimism around Jayden Daniels, elsewhere, the roster remains riddled with holes on both sides of the ball. The Commanders currently hold just six picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, and if they want to accelerate their path back to relevancy, they’ll need to make every one of them count — or... Adam Peters’ early draft classes have produced mixed results beyond Daniels, and this upcoming cycle offers another opportunity to lay the foundation for long-term success. But before diving into potential targets, it’s important to understand what truly drives success during the draft process — fit. Drafting isn’t simply about identifying the most talented player on the board or checking off positional needs.

Some teams have that luxury, sure, but it’s about understanding how a player fits into the structure of what a team wants to be, both schematically and culturally. There is a long way to go and a lot of football to come before the 2026 NFL Draft. But make no mistake, general manager Adam Peters' accomplished front-office staff will already be analyzing college football's latest stars before the all-important assessment process. The Washington Commanders don't have much in the way of picks once again. They are slated to have just five selections after some frantic trade activity during the offseason. That reduces the margin for error, but Peters has already proven capable of doing more with less.

Needs will change depending on how things unfold in the coming months. But for now, we took a look at some early perceptions in a seven-round 2026 mock draft using the Pro Football Network simulator. Bobby Wagner is a phenomenal player, but he isn't getting any younger. The Commanders need to find a long-term replacement for the future Pro Football Hall of Famer. Adding Anthony Hill Jr. would solve more problems than one.

Hill is a dynamic second-level presence. The Texas standout is explosive to the contact point, is a legitimate sideline-to-sideline presence, and can make things happen in pass-rushing situations. Placing him next to Frankie Luvu would instantly be a ferocious tandem if this is Wagner's final season. The Washington Commanders and their fans are gearing up for their most anticipated season to date after taking the NFL world by storm a season ago by making it to the NFC Championship game... Washington retooled their roster this offseason, nabbing key players on both sides of the ball through trades, free agency, and the NFL Draft in an attempt to strengthen their team to compete with their... The Commanders' draft might not have been all that jaw-dropping, but they added solid pieces depth-wise, with some having starting potential now or down the road in Josh Conerly Jr., Trey Amos, and Jaylin...

Fans will be paying close attention to their rookies once training camp rolls around in mid-July, but it is never too early to look at how the Commanders will finish this season, and when... According to ESPN draft expert Matt Miller, the Commanders will, unfortunately, fall short of their dreams of winning the Super Bowl. Miller has Washington exiting the playoffs in the divisional round and entering the 2026 NFL Draft with the 25th overall pick, in which he believes they will bolster their secondary, taking promising young cornerback... Harris out of Penn State. The Washington Commanders didn't make any sudden moves at the trade deadline on Tuesday. With all of the injuries on both sides of the ball, it would be difficult for the Commanders to move anyone and still have enough depth to field a team, so it's not super...

The trade deadline saw a flurry of movement from the New York Jets, and a few other teams made some changes as well. With all of that movement, the 2026 NFL draft order has changed. It will still change before the season is over, but if the season were to end today, the Commanders would have the ninth overall pick. If the Commanders continue to lose games, their first-round draft spot will likely change. But the bigger question is, what do the Commanders do with that pick? Going back to the 2020 NFL draft, the Commanders have had 47 picks in total.

Of those 47 picks, 18 remain on the roster, 13 of which were selected in 2024 or 2025. Granted, some of that is because there was a coaching and a general manager change after the 2023 season. The Commanders had a horrible drafting record under former coach/GM Ron Rivera, with none of his four first-round picks still on the roster. Now that Adam Peters is the guy calling the shots, though, it seems like we might get to see rookies develop as they should. This season is essentially over for the Commanders. They will be using their draft picks wisely in 2026.

Currently, they have six total picks for the 2026 NFL draft after losing their second and fourth-round picks in the Laremy Tunsil trade (which was worth it). This draft will be more focused on getting weapons for Jayden Daniels and bolstering the defense to avoid silly losses. Stay ahead with the latest 2026 NFL Washington Commanders Draft Order, updated weekly. Mark your calendars — the 2026 NFL Draft takes place on April 23-25, 2026. Bookmark this page to see where the Commanders stand every week on the road to the draft. When your NFL team is 3-7, you start looking ahead to the NFL draft.

It's only natural for Washington Commanders fans to already be looking ahead to the 2026 NFL draft. Kevin Sheehan, on his Team 980 radio show on Wednesday, said some fans had suggested the Commanders need so many players who can play; their best course for rebuilding the roster is to trade... The fan reasoned that because Daniels would bring more (much, much more) in trade value than any other Washington Commander. That is no doubt true, but it also misses entirely that there is good reasoning behind why you so rarely have seen an outstanding young quarterback (who is on his rookie contract by the... Why would a team give up on a young quarterback when great quarterbacks are hard to find? Consequently, that scenario will not occur.

In no way would the Commanders ever consider trading Daniels. Yet, doesn't it raise an important question? The Commanders are currently in the No. 8 draft position, and this week they play the Dolphins, who are in the No. 7 position. The Commanders could understandably land a good player if they are selecting next April anywhere from No.

6 to No. 12, for example. The question you might ask yourself is, "Would the Commanders rather select the one really good player early in the first round? Well, no doubt, if that player was a quarterback and the Commanders needed a quarterback. However, they don't, so they won't.. The Washington Commanders and their fans are gearing up for their most anticipated season to date after taking the NFL world by storm a season ago by making it to the NFC Championship game...

Washington retooled their roster this offseason, nabbing key players on both sides of the ball through trades, free agency, and the NFL Draft in an attempt to strengthen their team to compete with their... The Commanders' draft might not have been all that jaw-dropping, but they added solid pieces depth-wise, with some having starting potential now or down the road in Josh Conerly Jr., Trey Amos, and Jaylin... Fans will be paying close attention to their rookies once training camp rolls around in mid-July, but it is never too early to look at how the Commanders will finish this season, and when... According to ESPN draft expert Matt Miller, the Commanders will, unfortunately, fall short of their dreams of winning the Super Bowl. Miller has Washington exiting the playoffs in the divisional round and entering the 2026 NFL Draft with the 25th overall pick, in which he believes they will bolster their secondary, taking promising young cornerback... Harris out of Penn State.

Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters has his hands full this offseason. One year after the Commanders went 12-5 in Peters's first year as GM, they sit at 3-7 heading into Week 11 and look like they'll be picking inside the top 10 of the 2026... Washington needs it. There are several holes on the roster that must be addressed. And the Commanders are already without second and fourth-round picks due to the Laremy Tunsil trade. The two most glaring needs for 2026 look like edge rusher and wide receiver.

Depending on how this season concludes, the Commanders could have their pick between a top pass rusher and receiver. In a new mock draft from Josh Edwards of CBS Sports, the Commanders land arguably the top player in next year's draft at No. 8 overall: Miami edge Rueben Bain Jr. Washington needs pass-rush help, and Rueben Bain fits the powerful profile Dan Quinn tends to favor. The Commanders did well to add veteran talent that could accelerate their timeline, but they got a bit too aggressive last offseason and over-leveraged their future. Now it's time to start replacing some of those veterans The 6-foot-3, 275-pound Bain is currently ranked as Edwards' top-ranked prospect for 2026.

However, three quarterbacks helped push Bain to Washington at No. 8 in this mock. In 31 career games at Miami, Bain has 98 tackles, 24 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. Many believe Bain's best football is ahead of him and the chance to work with a coach like Dan Quinn could unlock his vast potential. The Washington Commanders are trending down after four straight losses, but that means the team is moving up in the NFL Draft order. The Commanders were striving to be in the 20s or 30s for the first round of the draft, but the team could be in the top 10 if their record continues to deteriorate.

That could put them in position to take Miami pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr. "Bain Jr. is an explosive, violent edge rusher with rare power and bend, capable of turning the corner from wide alignments and overwhelming tackles with speed-to-power," CBS Sports contributor Ryan Wilson wrote. "He wins with a deep arsenal of pass-rush moves -- from bull rushes to inside counters -- and plays with exceptional contact balance and hand usage to shed blocks both as a rusher and... Copyright 2008-2026 Drafttek.com. All Rights Reserved.

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