After making it all the way to the NFC Championship Game during the 2024 season, the Washington Commanders got hit hard by injuries and regressed significantly this past year.
Instead of competing for an NFC East title, the Commanders perhaps realized that they were undoubtedly a couple of years ahead of schedule in the 2024 season, and now have to reset the roster for 2026 and beyond. General manager Adam Peters has a ton of cap space to work with (nearly $68 million) and key pieces in place on both sides of the ball.
How will Peters and head coach Dan Quinn continue to add to this roster through the 2026 NFL Draft with major changes being made at the coordinator positions on both sides of the ball?
Commanders' ideal top 3 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft to get back on track
1. 7th overall: Caleb Downs, SAF, Ohio State
It's pretty rare these days that a safety would be the "ideal" pick at No. 7 overall in the NFL Draft, but the Commanders need difference makers on both sides of the ball. That's exactly what Caleb Downs is.
In a draft class that seems to lack top-end talent at the premium positions, Downs could end up being a steal with the 7th pick just because his position lacks the type of value teams want in a top-10 investment.
But in terms of on-field impact, he's going to bring that type of impact to any defense. In almost every mock draft scenario we run, the Commanders are taking some pass rusher at 7 overall and Downs is falling to the 10th pick and the Bengals. But my guess is that teams will have Downs much higher on their board than perhaps the consensus, so if he's there for the Commanders, he'd be the ideal pick.
2. 71st overall: Keyron Crawford, EDGE, Auburn
If the Commanders pass up on the class of EDGE players in the 1st round, which would be justified if they're going after Caleb Downs, then they're going to back themselves into a bit of a corner with their third-round pick.
Washington doesn't currently have a 2nd-round pick, which is brutal because that would be such a nice arrow to have in the quiver for this draft, which is really deep in the trenches. But, the Commanders can wait unti pick 71 overall, where the ideal pick in this range might be Keyron Crawford out of Auburn.
The former Arkansas State transfer just quietly had a really strong year in 2025, racking up 9.5 tackles for loss ad 5 sacks. More than sack numbers, he was credited with 43 total pressures this past season and is a consistently high-effort player.
3. 145th overall: Tacario Davis, CB, Washington
Is there anybody who loves a 6-foot-4 cornerback quite like Dan Quinn does? Find someone who loves you as much as DQ loves 6-4 corners.
Tacario Davis was once a regular name appearing in 1st-round mock drafts back when he was at Arizona, but obviously his stock has suffered a bit over the past couple of years.
Still, he put together a nice year for the Huskies with the 5th-lowest passer rating allowed in coverage among Big Ten cornerbacks.
With his size and length, he's going to be high on the board for this Commanders defense and would be a nice pick here in the 5th round.