Intriguing Commanders 2026 Nfl Draft Prospects Who Have Must See

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 8:41 AM

intriguing commanders 2026 nfl draft prospects who have must see

There are still seven games remaining for the Washington Commanders in 2025. But with the season spiraling into irrelevancy when much more was expected, some sections of the fan base are already looking ahead to what promises to be a pivotal offseason for general manager Adam... The front-office leader has a significant amount of hard work ahead. Washington has roster holes everywhere you look. Peters' gamble to run it back with most of the squad that achieved so much in 2024 has backfired. A disastrous run of luck on the injury front hasn't helped, but it's clear that this squad, as presently constructed, isn't capable of reaching the heights fans anticipated.

Peters could have over $100 million to spend in free agency, and he'd be wise to use every cent before Year 3 of quarterback Jayden Daniels' rookie contract. The Commanders stood pat at the 2025 trade deadline, which was surprising to most, leaving Peters with only six selections in next year's draft to utilize. Not exactly ideal, but the former San Francisco 49ers executive will have to make the best out of a bad situation. Using the Pro Football Network simulator, we took a look at how the Commanders could approach their selections in our latest seven-round 2026 NFL mock draft. It's no secret that the Washington Commanders need to get more explosive on the defensive edge. Only Dorance Armstrong Jr.

is guaranteed to be back next season, but even the ascending defensive end is in the final year of his deal in 2026. 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 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. It may not be the quarterback class we'd hoped for, but it still looks like a step up from last year. After that, though, there aren't a ton of position groups I'd call "loaded" relative to recent expectations. It's part of why we've already seen so many teams feel comfortable unloading their first-rounders. That doesn't mean there isn't talent to be had, however. It simply means scouts are going to have to work overtime to parse through a less clear-cut draft order than we've seen in recent years.

If you're looking for position groups with quality depth -- even if they aren't traditionally drafted highly -- interior offensive line and linebacker are where I'd start. There are 13 interior offensive linemen and nine linebackers represented in the top 100 below, both large numbers compared to the typical yearly crop that goes in the top three rounds. With that context in mind, let's dive into how the class stacks up in early November. Bain is putting together the best season for a defensive end at the collegiate level since Aidan Hutchinson. Like Hutchinson, Bain isn't a cookie-cutter edge prospect. The Hurricanes defender has a defensive tackle build with shorter arms than ideal on the edge.

It's no matter -- he already has 44 pressures this season. Woods has been on scouting radars since he was a true freshman. He's as powerful a true junior defensive tackle as you'll see and won't turn 21 until a month before the draft. He'll be even more disruptive in the pros than he is in Clemson's defense. 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 had a strong offense last season. They doubled down on that by adding two new offensive tackles and trading for Deebo Samuel. Their defense, however, is pretty similar to what it was last season. With that in mind, experts from Bleacher Report believe they will be forced to address their pass-rushing unit in next year’s NFL Draft. In their way-too-early draft projection, they had Adam Peters going with a defensive end: After breaking down the 10 prospects to know at every position in addition to 10 wild cards to know, here’s an early look at PFF’s top-50 prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Downs, who transferred from Alabama last offseason, has been the most valuable safety in college football over the past two seasons according to PFF’s wins above average metric. His 91.7 PFF grade in that span is second among all FBS safeties, while his 91.2 coverage grade is third. Downs is also a fantastic run defender, leading all players on this list with 35 run-defense stops and an 88.5 run-defense grade since 2023. Downs is an incredibly versatile player who can thrive at free safety, slot corner or in the box. Not to mention, he’s a dynamic punt returner as well. Parker’s 12 sacks in 2024 led all returning Power Four edge rushers, and he’s one of three in that same group who posted 80.0-plus grades both as a pass rusher and as a run...

Parker has a devastating bull-rush thanks to his power at 6-foot-3, 265 pounds. He has all the makings of a top-10 selection next April if he can put together a similarly strong junior year. Scouting college prospects for the Washington Commanders We’re about a third of the way through the college football season and there is a lot to cover. Clemson suffered a second ACC loss, this week to Syracuse, and at 1-3, there are questions of where they go from here. Will they follow in the footsteps of Oklahoma State who fired their coach of 20 seasons after a slow start this season?

Notre Dame finally got a win against Purdue, but after two losses to ranked opponents, will running the table be enough for them to make the College Football Playoff? How far will undefeated teams like Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech go this season? There were a few ranked-on-ranked matchups in Week 4 that deserve mentioning. Texas Tech went into Utah and, even after losing their starting quarterback, pulled out a 34-10 victory. The Red Raiders defense looks as good as any in college football. The same might be said of Indiana after they blew out Illinois and scored nine touchdowns.

The premier game of Week 5 has to be Oregon traveling across the country and playing at Penn State in a game featuring teams ranked in the top six. Right behind that is an undefeated Georgia team looking to hand Alabama its second loss and significantly diminish their chances of making the playoff. On the other hand, it might be LSU vs. Ole Miss, a thrilling game last season where LSU needed overtime to pull out a win. There are a lot of games that should be competitive and go a long way to deciding what happens in the postseason. Here are a few players who had a good week and might be able to help out the Commanders.

Let me know what you think about these prospects and feel free to post players that stood out to you.

Intriguing Commanders 2026 Nfl Draft Prospects Who Have Must See

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