2026 Road to the Draft – Part 12
April 1, 2026
By Noonefromtampa
Roster Updates – Free Agency
The Commanders signed 10-year veteran cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon to the roster this past week.
Draft Data
This week saw an increase of 19 in the number of drafts mock being tracked, up to a total of 277. Seventy-four percent of mock pick data occurred in last few weeks. The distribution for Washington by position is:
| Position | Picked Count | Picked % | Last Week % | % Change |
| Edge | 93 | 33.57% | 37.98% | -4.41% |
| RB | 46 | 16.61% | 13.57% | 3.04% |
| LB | 45 | 16.25% | 17.83% | -1.58% |
| S | 42 | 15.16% | 15.12% | 0.05% |
| WR | 40 | 14.44% | 12.02% | 2.42% |
| CB | 7 | 2.53% | 2.33% | 0.20% |
| OT | 3 | 1.08% | 0.39% | 0.70% |
| DL | 1 | 0.36% | 0.78% | -0.41% |
| 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 | 277 | 100% |
As more post-free agency mock drafts get posted or updated, the trend of the Commanders’ pick moving to running back or wide receiver continues. Running back was up over 3% and wide receiver was up nearly 2.5% while edge saw a drop of 4.4% and linebacker saw a 1.6% drop. Offensive tackles picks also increased but I just don’t see Washington doing that.
Washington holds the 7th pick in the first round. The players mocked to Washington with that pick are:
| Player | Position | School | Picked Count | Picked % |
| Jeremiyah Love | RB | Notre Dame | 46 | 16.61% |
| Rueben Bain | Edge | Miami | 46 | 16.61% |
| David Bailey | Edge | Texas Tech | 44 | 15.88% |
| Caleb Downs | S | Ohio State | 42 | 15.16% |
| Sonny Styles | LB | Ohio State | 33 | 11.91% |
| Carnell Tate | WR | Ohio State | 32 | 11.55% |
| Arvell Reese | LB | Ohio State | 12 | 4.33% |
| Mansoor Delane | CB | LSU | 7 | 2.53% |
| Jordyn Tyson | WR | Arizona State | 5 | 1.81% |
| Francis Mauigoa | OT | Miami | 3 | 1.08% |
| Keldric Faulk | Edge | Auburn | 3 | 1.08% |
| Makai Lemon | WR | USC | 3 | 1.08% |
| Peter Woods | DL | Clemson | 1 | 0.36% |
| Grand Total | 277 | 100.00% |
Bailey dropped to third place this week with Love and Bain now tied at the first spot. Downs and Styles also dropped one spot each. Tate, Reese and Delane remain unchanged. If the Commanders don’t draft and edge or linebacker, then the choices are down to Love, Downs and Tate at the seventh pick.
Draft Thoughts
Besides taking a player with the seventh pick, Washington could trade back for more picks in what is a rich draft. The most likely scenario is that a team in the range of the 9th to 18th picks would trade up with Washington to target a specific player of need. That team would also need to have the draft capital to trade up. In the mocks, Miami and Kansas City are the two teams that are part of trade up scenarios with Washington. The majority of teams in the ninth to nineteenth slots have more than seven picks in the draft. Only Cincinnati, Los Angeles Rams and Carolina have just seven picks. Miami and Baltimore have 11 picks, the most, with Kansas City, Tampa Bay, New York Jets, Detroit and Minnesota having nine picks.
What kind of compensation would Washington get in a trade back scenario?
| Team | Compensation Sent | Compensation Received |
| Kansas City | 7th pick (round 1) | 9th pick (round 1), 74th pick (round 3) |
| Cincinnati | 7th pick (round 1) | 10th pick (round 1), 72nd pick (round 3) |
| Miami | 7th pick (round 1) | 11th pick (round) 1, 75th pick (round 3), and 151st pick (round 5) |
| Dallas | 7th pick (round 1) | 12th pick (round 1), 92nd pick round 3), 2027 2nd round |
| Los Angeles Rams | 7th pick (round 1) | 13th pick (round 1), 61st pick (round 2), 2027 3rd round |
| Baltimore | 7th pick (round 1), 147th pick (round 5) | 14th pick (round 1), 45th pick (round 2) |
| Tampa Bay | 7th pick (round 1) | 15th pick (round 1), 46th pick (round 2), 195th pick (round 6) |
| New York Jets | 7th pick (round 1) | 16th pick (round 1), 44th pick (round 2), 140th pick (round 4) |
| Detroit | 7th pick (round 1) | 17th pick (round 1), 50th pick (round 2), 2027 2nd round |
| Minnesota | 7th pick (round 1) | 18th pick (round 1), 49th pick (round 2), 97th pick (round 3) |
| Carolina | 7th pick (round 1) | 19th pick (round 1), 51st pick (round 2), 119th pick (round 4), 2027 3rd round |
Of all the teams listed, I think that Miami is the most likely trade candidate, especially if Bain or Bailey is still on the board when Washington goes on the clock. Moving back only four picks, Washington may still have a chance to pick Downs, Tate, Lemon or Delane in that slot. The bonus is additional picks in the draft to add even more talent to the roster.
Sources: nflmockdraftdatabase.com
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