2026 Road to the Draft – Part 3

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January 27, 2026

By Noonefromtampa

Roster – Coaching Staff Updates

The Commanders signed corner Qwuantrezz Knight to a reserve/futures contract. The Commanders filled two open coaching positions by promoting Darnell Stapleton to offensive line coach and Shane Toub to assistant offensive line coach. They still need a defensive coordinator and have interviewed several candidates.

Draft Data

The number of mocks being tracked rose to 94 in week 3 from 82 last week. Seventy-five percent of pick data occurred in last two weeks. The distribution for Washington by position is:

Position Picked Count Picked % Last Week % % Change
Edge 49 52.13% 47.56% 4.57%
S 25 26.60% 29.27% -2.67%
WR 8 8.51% 8.54% -0.03%
LB 7 7.45% 7.32% 0.13%
RB 3 3.19% 4.88% -1.69%
DL 2 2.13% 2.44% -0.31%
CB 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
OT 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
QB 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
IOL 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
TE 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Grand Total 94 100%  

Washington’s need to improve its pass rush is reflected in the picks from the mock prognosticators with over 50% of the picks focused on edge rushers. A decrease in picks at safety and running back helped fuel the uptick at edge.

Washington holds the 7th pick in the first round. The players mocked to Washington with that pick are:

Player Position School Picked Count Picked %
Caleb Downs S Ohio State 25 26.60%
David Bailey Edge Texas Tech 25 26.60%
Rueben Bain Edge Miami 21 22.34%
Arvell Reese LB Ohio State 6 6.38%
Jordyn Tyson WR Arizona State 4 4.26%
Carnell Tate WR Ohio State 4 4.26%
Jeremiyah Love RB Notre Dame 3 3.19%
Keldric Faulk Edge Auburn 2 2.13%
Peter Woods DL Clemson 2 2.13%
Cashius Howell Edge Texas A&M 1 1.06%
Sonny Styles LB Ohio State 1 1.06%
Grand Total 94 100.00%

Two interesting new picks which show up this week are Cashius Howell and Sonny Styles. Both are projected first round picks, with Styles in the mid first round and Howell towards the bottom. Styles could rise into the top 10, but Howell in the top 10 seems to be a stretch at this point.

Draft Thoughts

Linebacker is another position that Washington could look to address in the draft. There are three possible options at linebacker for Washington: David Bailey who I covered last week in edge rushers and two players from Ohio State Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles.

Reese and Styles are both 6’4” and around 243 lbs. Reese is the better pass rusher of the two but both are strong at the point of attack in the run game. Styles has better coverages skills at this point and can match-up against tight ends and running backs.

These players would be a significant upgrade over players currently on the roster.