2026 Road to the Draft – Part 5
February 11, 2026
By Noonefromtampa
Roster – Coaching Staff Updates
The Commanders hired Eric Henderson as their defensive line and run game coordinator coach. He spent the last two years in a similar position with the USC Trojans and before that he coached Aaron Donald and other Rams players for 5 years.
Draft Data
The number of mocks being tracked rose 13 again to 120 in week 5. Sixty percent of pick data occurred in last two weeks. The distribution for Washington by position is:
| Position | Picked Count | Picked % | Last Week % | % Change |
| Edge | 62 | 51.67% | 53.27% | -1.60% |
| S | 27 | 22.50% | 23.36% | -0.86% |
| LB | 13 | 10.83% | 9.35% | 1.49% |
| WR | 11 | 9.17% | 8.41% | 0.76% |
| RB | 5 | 4.17% | 3.74% | 0.43% |
| DL | 2 | 1.67% | 1.87% | -0.20% |
| 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% |
| N/A | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Grand Total | 120 | 100% |
The edge, defensive line and safety position groups were down this week, while the other three position groups trended upwards.
Washington holds the 7th pick in the first round. The players mocked to Washington with that pick are:
| Player | Position | School | Picked Count | Picked % |
| David Bailey | Edge | Texas Tech | 33 | 27.50% |
| Caleb Downs | S | Ohio State | 27 | 22.50% |
| Rueben Bain | Edge | Miami | 22 | 18.33% |
| Arvell Reese | LB | Ohio State | 9 | 7.50% |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | Arizona State | 6 | 5.00% |
| Jeremiyah Love | RB | Notre Dame | 5 | 4.17% |
| Keldric Faulk | Edge | Auburn | 5 | 4.17% |
| Carnell Tate | WR | Ohio State | 5 | 4.17% |
| Sonny Styles | LB | Ohio State | 4 | 3.33% |
| Peter Woods | DL | Clemson | 2 | 1.67% |
| T.J. Parker | Edge | Clemson | 1 | 0.83% |
| Cashius Howell | Edge | Texas A&M | 1 | 0.83% |
| Grand Total | 120 | 100.00% |
David Bailey continues to lead Caleb Downs by six mock selections and 11 over Rueben Bain.
Draft Thoughts
Why is there so much uncertainty in who the Commanders will draft at pick number 7? Unlike other draft years, outside of a consensus that Fernando Mendoza will go to the Raiders, everything else is up in the air right now. Free agency may bring some clarity to draft or it cloud the picture even more.
Pick 2 – Jets – The Jets need talent on defense and most draft prognosticators have them taking a defensive player, but which one? The Jets will have the choice of the top defensive players in each position group on the board Reese, Bain, Downs, and Jermod McCoy/Mansoor Delane. So do the Jets go linebacker, edge, safety or cornerback? That is the question impacts the Commanders pick.
Pick 3 – Cardinals – most folks have them taking a lineman either offense or defense. Do they take Spencer Fano or Francis Mauigoa at offensive tackle or Bain or Bailey at edge? If Bain goes to the Jets, then the Cardinals may elect to go with the best OT.
Pick 4 – Titans – now the possibilities expand even further. Do the Titans get a tackle to protect Cam Ward, do they get a wide receiver for Ward to throw to, or do they add a defensive player to shore up a bottom third defense? The Titans could take whoever is left between Fano and Mauigoa or a receiver from the pool of Makai Lemon, Carnell Tate or Jordyn Tyson. On defense they may take the best of whoever is left on the board from Bain, Downs, Reese and McCoy.
Pick 5 – Giants – new head coach John Harbaugh inherited an underperforming roster that has some talent but also has some holes. Do they add a receiver from the group of 3 (Lemon, Tate, Tyson) to give Jaxon Dart another target beside Malik Nabers? Or do they add help for secondary in the form of Downs, McCoy or Delane?
Pick 6 – Browns – the Browns biggest needs are offensive tackle and wide receiver. Depending on what the teams before them do, the Browns can take either the best tackle or receiver left on the board with their pick.
Assuming the teams before them follow the expected form and there are no trade surprises, Washington can either address a position of need or take the best player available. The big question is which players will be available when Washington goes on the clock Thursday night. Edge, linebacker, safety, wide receiver and cornerback are all possibilities for a Commanders team in need of talent.
Sources: nflmockdatabase.com