Washington Commanders 2026 NFL draft Blueprint

Option 1: Round 1 (7th overall) — Jeremiyah Love, RB Notre Dame

I know this is a played-out joke … but I really love Love.

And I’m not the only one who suspects Adam Peters and the Washington Commanders do too.

“Jeremiyah Love is a top ten pick..

I don’t see him going to the Titans or the Giants right now..

A place that makes sense to me would be the Washington Commanders” ~ @AdamSchefter#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/hNypGJ7lQg

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 23, 2026

The missing ingredient in the Commanders’ offense is an X-factor not named Jayden Daniels. Terry McLaurin is nice but aging. The reality is Washington is in dire need of difference-makers on both sides of the ball, and if you can get one at No. 7 overall, that’s their best option — yes, even better than trading down for more picks.

Love is potentially that X-factor, both a running back with home run capabilities and as a receiver out of the backfield — perhaps even lined up in the slot. The underrated aspect of his game is his pass blocking, in part because that tends to be underrated for running backs in general (it was a big reason Bill Croskey-Merritt wasn’t installed as the primary back after his impressive training camp and preseason). Burgundy and Gold fans of a certain age will remember the impact Clinton Portis had in this aspect of the passing game, and Love projects to have that same sort of impact.

So conventional wisdom, be damned — if Love is still on the board at No. 7, run to the podium with this pick.

Option 2: Round 1 (7th overall) — Caleb Downs, S Ohio State

This is another selection conventional draft wisdom frowns upon but this value would be too good to pass up. Downs has the intangibles and position flexibility the Commanders covet, not to mention the potential to develop into the type of impact, franchise safety Washington only got a glimpse of with the late Sean Taylor a generation ago.

Downs is also a bit of a legacy pick, considering his brother, Josh, is already a steady receiver in the NFL and his uncle, Dre Bly, was an All-Pro corner (from Chesapeake, Virginia).

Downs could help transform a defense exceedingly short on true difference-makers.

Option 3: Round 1 (7th overall) — Sonny Styles, LB Ohio State

This freak athlete fits the “Commander” profile described by this front office and wore the green dot at Ohio State as the proverbial quarterback and team captain of the defense. In Columbus, he was described as “best leader in the program.”

There’s talk that Dan Quinn will absolutely take Styles if he’s on the board at No. 7, which furthers my belief Styles projects to be the perfect heir to Bobby Wagner — and Adam Peters’ own version of Fred Warner. But I have a hard time seeing him slip past the rival New York Giants at No. 5 overall.

Honorable mentions: Silver Spring native Mansoor Delane is comped to the Eagles’ star corner Quinyon Mitchell, and though a bit undersized for his position (just over 5-foot-11, 187 pounds), he could be pound-for-pound the biggest competitor in this draft.

Part of me is rooting for a Rueben Bain Jr. pick, given Washington’s need for a two-way edge and the proliferation of Dark Knight Rises jokes I’ll get to unleash on WTOP consumers. If he’s the second coming of Brandon Graham, he could shrug off the curse of the short-armed edge but still not worth a top ten selection. 

Carnell Tate figures to be the perfect complement to fellow Buckeyes alum Terry McLaurin at receiver, but he could stay in Ohio as the No. 6 pick to Cleveland.

The reality is the trio of Love, Styles and Downs could be the three best players in the entire 2026 NFL draft — and because they play non-premium positions, at least one of them could be available to Washington at No. 7.

Round 3 (71st overall) — Malachi Fields, WR Notre Dame

I’ve seen multiple mock drafts sending the Charlottesville, Virginia, native to Washington here and maybe if I follow suit, the Commanders will get the home run they need.

I have a hard time seeing the 6-foot-4, 218-pound target lasting this long into the third round but his unimpressive 40-yard dash time (4.61) and lack of high-end production in a run-first offense could drop him into a dream scenario as the WR2 to McLaurin near his hometown (especially if the Commanders don’t pick Tate at No. 7 to do the same).

Don’t sleep on the possibility of Washington taking Auburn center Connor Lew here, given the need at the position and his profile as a team leader. However, his ACL injury last October could prompt Washington to gamble he’ll still be available later. I also wouldn’t mind Texas corner Malik Muhammad here if Delane isn’t the No. 7 pick.

Round 5 (147 overall) — Kaytron Allen, RB Penn State

The Norfolk, Virginia, native is comped to now-Cardinals RB Tyler Allgeier so he be the battering ram Washington needs at running back — a true change of pace to the likes of Rachaad White, Bill Croskey-Merritt (and, perhaps, Jeremiyah Love).

If Washington corner Ephesians Prysock were to fall this far, I could see Peters flashing that 1,000-watt smile on the way to turn in that draft card. I also wouldn’t be mad at Texas A&M defensive tackle Albert Regis here to develop into a potential long-term replacement for Daron Payne.

Round 6 (187 overall) — Marlin Klein, TE Michigan

Washington’s front office places quite a bit of importance on Relative Athletic Score, and by that metric, Klein is one of the highest-ranked tight ends in nearly 40 years.

The German-born soccer player is another Commander-grade player: Voted team captain and plays with grit and toughness.

Marlin Klein is a TE prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.59 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 57 out of 1356 TE from 1987 to 2026.

Pending agility testing, bench tomorrow, splits projected.https://t.co/UZmF9a4C23 pic.twitter.com/kHRxYvPbxP

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) February 28, 2026

Round 6 (209 overall) — Jalen Huskey, CB Maryland

The Quince Orchard High School grad came home to play his final collegiate season at Maryland so why not the hometown Commanders? Huskey’s 11 interceptions over his final three seasons implies he can provide the ball-hawking the Washington defense desperately needs long-term.

If Huskey is off the board here, I think it would be a great place to gamble on Nigerian defensive line prospect Uar Bernard, whose rare physical traits are described as something like a Marvel character or the football version of Victor Wembanyama.

There’s one pretty big catch: Bernard has barely worn pads, let alone played competitive football so he’s about as raw a prospect as there has ever been. But Peters puts a lot of stock in RAS (relative athletic scores) and Bernard’s is on par with the Eagles’ Jordan Davis.

Round 7 (223rd overall) — Jaffer Murphy, Kicker UTSA

I know, I know … kickers are historically a waste of a draft pick.

But Murphy has shown 70-yard field goal range and ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash. Can you imagine the ways special teams coach Larry Izzo could turn that threat into touchdown-scoring trick plays?!

Seriously, there’s precedent for raw-but-talented, soccer-turned-football players catching on in the NFL but the highest profile, present-day examples (the Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey, now the NFL’s highest-paid kicker, and Detroit’s Jake Bates) both needed to impress in the UFL before landing in the NFL.

If no other high-value picks at positions of need are available (like burly Ohio State RB CJ Donaldson or Indiana center Pat Coogan), there are worse things than spending a seventh-round pick on a high-ceiling talent that could revolutionize the kicker position — both with his talent and in becoming the first Black kicker in the NFL since Justin Medlock in 2013.

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