Commanders Projected To Land Top 2026 Nfl Draft Prospect In New Mock

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 16, 2025, 5:58 PM

commanders projected to land top 2026 nfl draft prospect in new mock

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...

Relentlessly disruptive and highly explosive off the snap, Bain consistently collapses pockets, sets a firm edge, and makes impact plays from whistle to whistle." READ MORE: Commanders get good news on linebacker ahead of Lions game The Washington Commanders didn't select an edge rusher during the 2025 NFL Draft. That was a contentious issue among the fanbase, but one analyst believes this could be Adam Peters' biggest priority when next year's selection event rolls around. Peters played his board rather than focusing too much on need. That leaves the Commanders short of dependable pass-rushers, so it'll be interesting to see what the general manager has up his sleeve before Week 1 rolls around. Although the 2025 draft has barely concluded, that hasn't stopped those in the media from speculating who could potentially enter first-round consideration in 2026.

The Washington Commanders are coming off a 27-18 Thursday Night loss to the Green Bay Packers. While Jayden Daniels and the offense had a tough time against Micah Parsons and company, they did have success at the tight end position. Daniels was able to find success throwing the ball to Zach Ertz who showcased his yards after the catch skill in scoring a touchdown for the Commanders. How impactful could the offense be with a younger tight end who is showing first round talent at Oregon. Yes, we are talking about Kenyon Sadiq who is one of the top tight end prospects to watch ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. So far in the 2025 season, Sadiq has 5 receptions for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Ducks.

His athleticism and ability after the catch is what stands out about Sadiq which could make him a perfect replacement to Ertz if the Commanders are locked in on the position entering the draft. Dante dimes. #GoDucks @dantemoore05 🤝 @KenyonSadiq pic.twitter.com/w56yZYF6HQ A rejuvenated Ertz is showing how effective the Commanders’ offense can be with an athletic tight end target. In the team’s Week 2 loss to the Packers, the veteran tight end caught 6 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. Imagine a younger version of Ertz and you have Sadiq who could be a prime target for Daniels.

The Washington Commanders finally settled on a contract extension with wide receiver Terry McLaurin that will keep him with the team until 2029. There are currently five wide receivers on the team, but both Noah Brown and Deebo Samuel will be free agents in 2026. That leaves only McLaurin, Jaylin Lane, and Luke McCaffrey as the team's receivers heading into the 2026 season. Obviously, the Commanders could attempt to keep both Brown and Samuel via contract extensions, but they also need to continue to add youth to that group. Adding youth to the receivers' room is important enough that CBS Sports predicts, in their 2026 preseason mock draft, that the Commanders will select wide receiver Carnell Tate out of Ohio State. Terry McLaurin has officially signed his extension with the Commanders, and now Jayden Daniels gets another offensive weapon.

Carnell Tate is a smooth mover with a large catch radius who can make plays after the catch as well. If you've watched Tate over the last two years at Ohio State, you already know he would be a fantastic fit with Jayden Daniels. In his two seasons at OSU, Tate has recorded 70 receptions for 997 yards and five touchdowns while sharing snaps with the likes of Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka. Tate's 6-foot-3 frame and lanky limbs give him an extra reach above opposing corners and safeties, and he's athletic enough to break tackles and get down the field in a hurry once the ball... Watch him closely this season. If he decides to declare for the draft, he will certainly go in the first round.

There's a misconception floating around about the 2026 NFL Draft. Before this college season kicked off, Texas' Arch Manning, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier were widely viewed as the top eligible quarterback prospects. Those three haven't quite met the early expectations, which has some people jumping to the conclusion that this is a "weak" QB class. In reality, the rise of Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (my QB1 back in May), Alabama's Ty Simpson and Oregon's Dante Moore has reshaped the board. All three still have remaining eligibility and could theoretically return to school in 2026, but in today's thought exercise, they come off the board quickly -- just not at No. 1 overall.

Four teams enter the first round with multiple picks, while just as many have none. The Browns and Rams dealt away theirs in separate draft-day moves a year ago, and the Jets and Cowboys moved on from Quinnen Williams and Micah Parsons, respectively. To set the stage, here are the current odds to be the No. 1 overall pick (via FanDuel Sportsbook). Reminder: This is the current NFL draft order after Week 10 (via Tankathon). 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 just closed out a very productive 2025 NFL Draft. However, it’s never too early to start planning for the future. With that in mind, Kyle Crabbs of “The 33rd Team” put together his way-too-early 2026 NFL mock draft. On a negative note, he doesn’t have the Commanders winning the Super Bowl. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t even have them reaching the NFC Championship Game again, as he projects them to have the No.

Commanders Projected To Land Top 2026 Nfl Draft Prospect In New Mock

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