2026 Road to the Draft – Part 7
February 25, 2026
By Noonefromtampa
Roster – Coaching Staff Updates
Jake Olsen elected not leave LSU and join the Commanders coaching staff. No roster updates reported.
Draft Data
This week, there was a large increase in the number of mocks being tracked, rising from 41 to 185. Sixty-six percent of mock pick data occurred in last two weeks. The distribution for Washington by position is:
| Position | Picked Count | Picked % | Last Week % | % Change |
| Edge | 94 | 50.81% | 45.83% | 4.98% |
| S | 35 | 18.92% | 22.22% | -3.30% |
| LB | 23 | 12.43% | 13.89% | -1.46% |
| WR | 17 | 9.19% | 10.42% | -1.23% |
| RB | 7 | 3.78% | 4.17% | -0.38% |
| CB | 5 | 2.70% | 1.39% | 1.31% |
| DL | 3 | 1.62% | 2.08% | -0.46% |
| OT | 1 | 0.54% | 0.00% | 0.54% |
| 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 | 185 | 100% |
The biggest winner this week was the edge position gaining almost 5% and moving over the 50% mark of all selections. Offensive tackle returned this week with one prognosticator feeling the biggest issue the team had was protecting Jayden Daniels. Cornerback also saw a good increase over previous weeks. That has been influenced by Washington selected a former DB to defensive coordinator. The biggest losers from a percentage distribution viewpoint were safety, linebacker and wide receiver.
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 | 50 | 27.03% |
| Rueben Bain | Edge | Miami | 37 | 20.00% |
| Caleb Downs | S | Ohio State | 35 | 18.92% |
| Sonny Styles | LB | Ohio State | 14 | 7.57% |
| Carnell Tate | WR | Ohio State | 11 | 5.95% |
| Arvell Reese | LB | Ohio State | 9 | 4.86% |
| Jeremiyah Love | RB | Notre Dame | 7 | 3.78% |
| Keldric Faulk | Edge | Auburn | 6 | 3.24% |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | Arizona State | 6 | 3.24% |
| Mansoor Delane | CB | LSU | 5 | 2.70% |
| Peter Woods | DL | Clemson | 2 | 1.08% |
| Kayden McDonald | DL | Ohio State | 1 | 0.54% |
| Spencer Fano | OT | Utah | 1 | 0.54% |
| T.J. Parker | Edge | Clemson | 1 | 0.54% |
| Grand Total | 185 | 100.00% |
Bain moved ahead of Downs this week, who has dropped to third place. Styles remained fourth while Tate moved ahead of Reese.
Free Agency
Teams can now designate franchise or transition tag players until 4:00 p.m. March 3rd. Teams are starting to release players to get under the cap (Rule of 51) by the start of the new league year on March 11th. Currently the Vikings and Cowboys lead the league in being most over the cap. The legal tampering period begins on March 9th, so start expecting to hear of alleged deals soon after that starts.
The Commanders are expected to be big players in free agency this year and that will have some impact on their draft selections. It will also probably give fans some clues on the defensive scheme the team will run this season.
Draft Thoughts
The offensive line is one of the stronger units on the team currently with Samuel Cosmi, Laremy Tunsil and Chris Paul getting positive reviews on the blocking ratings. However, depth and the future need to be addressed.
Some players who could be drafted on day 2 or 3 to fill the gaps on the roster are:
Center:
- Logan Jones, Iowa, 6’3”, 290
- Sam Hecht, Kansas State, 6’4”, 300
- Bryce Foster, Kansas, 6’5”, 330
Guard:
- Beau Stephens, Iowa, 6’5”, 315
- Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech, 6’4”, 320
- Febechi Nwaiwu, Oklahoma, 6’4”, 320
Tackle:
- Kage Casey, Boise State, 6’5”, 315
- James Neal, Iowa State, 6’5”, 325
- Micah Pettus, Florida State, 6’7”, 340
The team has been meeting with a lot of offensive linemen at the Bowl games and will meet with more at the Combine. Don’t get hung up on the position label that players had in college. Often tackles become guards and guards become centers at the next level. The team will likely pick at least one offensive lineman in the draft and sign several undrafted players for camp.
Sources: nflmockdraftdatabase.com