Commanders’ 2026 NFL Mock Draft roundup post-Super Bowl as draft season ramps up

The Washington Commanders need plenty of roster help, including free agents. But they are also focusing on the upcoming draft. And here is the Commanders’ 2026 NFL Mock Draft roundup, post-Super Bowl, as draft season ramps up.

Coming off a very disappointing 5-12 season, the Commanders must overcome the whiffs experienced by head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters in last year’s roster construction. It turned into an epic fail as the Commanders looked slow and old for the entire season. And that’s exactly what Peters and company put together as a so-called “all-in” shot at the Super Bowl.

But there’s a chance to revive the excitement created in the 2024 season. And here’s what NFL observers are saying the Commanders should do with their first-round pick at No. 7 overall.

David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech

Nate Tice and Charles MacDonald, Yahoo Sports; Max Chadwick, Pro Football Focus; Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA Today

Bailey is exactly what the Commanders need. He’s a potential game-changing edge rusher. Washington must get leaps and bounds better in that area.

“This one is a pretty easy pairing,” Tice and MacDonald wrote. “The Commanders are starved for edge rushers, especially ones who can win one-on-one and get after the quarterback. That’s exactly what Bailey brings to the table.

“He’s a dynamo off the edge and brings the heat play after play. Bailey’s lack of size can give him issues against the run, but he improved in that area during his lone season in Lubbock. He’ll immediately inject some juice into a front that needs it under new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones.”

Chadwick pointed out the Commanders’ recent defensive miseries and suggested Bailey as the tonic.

“The Commanders have fielded one of the NFL’s six lowest-graded defenses in each of the past three seasons,” Chadwick wrote. “Washington addresses that by drafting Bailey, college football’s highest-graded defender this past season (93.3). He led college football in PFF pass-rush grade in each of the past two seasons at Texas Tech and Stanford.”

Caleb Downs, safety, Ohio State

Tim Crean, ClutchPoints; Chad Reuter, NFL.com; Mark Morales-Smith, Sports Illustrated; Cynthia Frelund, NFL.com.

Crean called Downs the “best pound-for-pound” player in this draft.

“Downs is an all-around playmaker who will give some Washington fans flashbacks to the late, great Sean Taylor,” Crean wrote. “Yes, drafting a safety this high is a risky proposition, but Downs is a special player. And adding a young superstar to the back end of the defense will help Dan Quinn get the D back where it needs to be.”

Reuter added, “The Commanders take the best player on the board to be a long-term pillar of their defense. Downs can lead the squad from the back end and insert himself into plays around the box, thanks to his elite instincts.”

And Morales-Smith pointed out that this gives the Commanders a great start to addressing their secondary needs.

As for Frelund, she likes how this pick fits with the coaching staff.

“Dan Quinn is a defensive-minded head coach, and pairing him with Bailey is a win-win for both parties in terms of coaching and raw-skills fit,” Frelund wrote.

Manoor Delane, CB, LSU

Joel Klatt, Fox Sports

Another potential secondary fix is an elite cornerback. Delane seems to fit the bill. But Klatt seems to be on an island with this pick.

“The Commanders gave up the most passing yards in the league last season, so they have to address that side of the ball,” Klatt wrote. “Delane’s my top corner in this draft. So, a natural fit here.”

Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

Mike Renner, CBS Sports

Talk about an outlier. Renner has the Commanders ignoring their gaping defensive holes and adding an offensive piece. In fairness to Renner, this is exactly the type of move the Commanders would have made at times in the past. The hope is they won’t repeat the mistake.

Here is Renner’s logic.

“The Commanders need an injection of youth into their aging receiving corps,” Renner wrote. “We saw how much their downfield passing attack suffered when Terry McLaurin was out of the lineup last season. Tate is the best big-play threat in the class with the kind of ball skills that pair perfectly with Jayden Daniels’ elite deep ball.”

The overall roundup analysis

The best commentary came from Chadwick. It’s hard to remember the last time the Commanders had an elite defensive player at any position. I’m talking about the kind of guy who turns heads across the NFL.

But is Bailey that guy? Or is Reuben Bain Jr. of Miami? Bain is a player none of the experts landed with the Commanders.

Interestingly, most of the things written about Bailey focus on his collegiate statistics. But how many times do college stats ring true at the next level? Even the great Mel Kiper has Baley at No. 4 on his board based on his college stats.

But listen to what Kiper says about Bain:

“Bain also shows speed and bend off the edge, and he takes good angles,” Kiper wrote. “Plus, he can hold the edge against the run and get off blocks to chase down ball carriers. His tape is just filled with disruption. But even with all those A-level traits, it’s actually Bain’s hustle that really stands out to me. He never takes a play off and fires at the ball on every play. Opponents have to account for him in their game plans, and he can keep them guessing even then with his inside-outside flexibility.”

Holds the edge. Tape filled with disruption. Hustle stands out. Never takes a play off. Opponents have to account for him. Give me all of those. He’s the dude.

Now, in fairness, some of the previously mentioned mockers have Bain off the board before the Commanders pick. But that’s why the Commanders need to trade up to get him. And not settle. Settling is for teams that don’t win in January.

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