Commanders GM gives glimpse into 2026 NFL Draft plan

The last time the Washington Commanders held a top-10 pick, they drafted quarterback Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall in 2024.

That pick worked out so well that Daniels led the Commanders to a 12-5 record and the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 1991 NFL season, so Washington didn’t pick until No. 29 in last year’s draft.

But last season was a disaster in D.C., primarily because Daniels suffered from knee, hamstring, and elbow injuries that limited him to seven games in 2025. The Commanders were ravaged by injury across the board and stumbled to a 5-12 record.

So, the Commanders are back in the top 10 of the 2026 NFL Draft, and general manager Adam Peters shared whether fans can count on the Commanders sticking and picking at No. 7 overall.

“I would say more likely than not that would happen,” Peters said during his pre-draft press conference last week. “You never know. It’ll depend on who’s on the board.”

Peters, predictably, did not share which players the Commanders are targeting with the No. 7 overall pick, and he didn’t even name specific position groups.

“That could be anywhere on the field,” he said. “There’s a lot of guys that will possibly be there at different levels of the defense, really every position, quite frankly, that can help impact us in a real positive way.”

Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest ESPN mock draft projects the Commanders to select former Ohio State star wide receiver Carnell Tate at No. 7. If the first round shakes out as Kiper foresees, Tate would be the first wide receiver off the board.

The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft will begin at 8 p.m. EST on Thursday, April 23.