My Washington Mock Draft

April 21, 2026

by Steve Thomas

Since it is draft week, my partner on The Hog Sty Podcast, Alex Zeese, decided on the fly on last week’s show that he, Dave Earl, and I would all do mock drafts and be ready to talk about them on this week’s show.  Instead of just doing that, I thought it would be fun to turn my draft into this week’s column.  I’m not one to do a ton of mock drafts each year – I typically only do one right before the draft, so this effort fits my normal habits.  My column last week (click here to read) was my effort to create a round 1 draft board for the Redskins the Washington Football Team the Commanders Washington, and since I went through that effort, I’ll follow it during my mock draft.  Let’s get started.

The rules that we agreed upon were that we would not do any trades and instead would stick to Washington’s current draft picks, which are the following:

• Round 1, pick 7
• Round 3, pick 7 (71st overall)
• Round 5, pick 7 (147th overall)
• Round 6, pick 6 (187th overall)
• Round 6, pick 28 (209th overall)
• Round 7, pick 7 (223rd overall)

As a general rule, I think teams should draft using a strategy of finding the best player available, but with the positional needs of the team in mind.  This is particularly true towards the top of the draft – once we get into the bottom few rounds, the odds of finding players who are starter-worthy, or even worthy of a long NFL career, are so long that it isn’t worthy placing too much emphasis on needs at that point.  That’s the strategy I followed here.  So without further ado, here are my picks:

Round 1, pick 7: Caleb Downs, safety, Ohio St. (5’11” / 206)

I followed my draft board with this pick. As I published last week my round 1 board for Washington was:

#1 Jeremyiah Love, running back, Notre Dame

#2: Sonny Styles, linebacker, Ohio St.

#3: Caleb Downs, safety, Ohio St.

#4: Carnell Tate, wide receiver, Ohio St.

#5: David Bailey, edge rusher, Texas Tech

This pick turned out to be easy.  In my mock draft, quarterback Fernando Mendoza and linebacker Arvell Reese went 1 and 2, as expected, followed by Bailey, Styles, Love, and edge rusher Reuben Bain.  That left Downs as the obvious choice.  With Downs, Washington gets its safety of the future and solidifies its defensive backfield.  Some analysts think Downs is the second coming of the late, great Sean Taylor, whereas others see him as more of an in the box safety with elite potential.  Even if the latter is more correct, I see this as an outstanding choice for Washington that happens to fill a gaping hole in the defensive backfield.

Round 3, pick 7: Kyle Louis, outside linebacker, Pittsburgh (5’11” / 220)

I know, I know.  Before you guys say anything, I’m aware that many analysts view Louis as a better fit in a 4 – 3, and maybe that’s true.  That having been said, Washington really needs a good young linebacker, and that’s Louis.  Besides, new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones has sort of hemmed and hawed about whether the team will be running a true 3 – 4 anyway.  Lewis is a decent athlete who runs a 4.5 second 40 yard dash and jumped 39.5 inches in the vertical leap.  He is also known has having elite coverage skills and is a playmaker in that role, which are skills Washington definitely needs in its existing linebacker group.  For those reasons, I think Louis can work in DC and can fill a quality role on the defense.

Round 5, pick 7: Josh Cameron, wide receiver, Baylor (6’1” / 220)

Cameron is a big receiver with outstanding hands who has a history of making good yards after catch.  Washington desperately needs another receiver, and Cameron can fill the role of big-time, interior possession receiver.  There are mixed reports about his 40 time, ranging from the 4.4 second range up to 4.65, but regardless, hie role won’t be as a burner.  He’s a big receiver who can potentially play a long-term role on the team.

Round 6, pick 7: Red Murdock, inside linebacker, Buffalo (6’1” / 232)

Murdock is a classic inside linebacker, which is another big Washington need.  As a sixth round pick, Murdock won’t be expected to be a starter, but rather to fill a role as a backup and special teamer.  He was very productive in college, and while he isn’t overly athletic by NFL linebacker standards, he’s a hard hitter who could play a role in DC.  The other players rated around Murdock’s spot in the draft was a wide receiver, which I already drafted in round 5, two tight ends, which Washington doesn’t need, and running backs.  Washington needs an elite running back, not just another back of the roster player, so I was comfortable passing on that position here in favor of Murdock.

Round 6, pick 28: Mason Reiger, edge rusher, Wisconsin (6’4” / 250)

As I mentioned in last week’s column, Washington did put significant free agency effort into edge rushers, so I therefore didn’t view that position as a particularly useful pick at the top of the draft; however, that doesn’t mean that the team shouldn’t take a back of the draft shot at a player with potential.  Reiger, who was originally a walk-on at Louisville, fits that mold.  He isn’t particularly fast or athletic for his position, but scouts view him as strong, having good technique, and with a relentless play style.  Washington should always go for a player like Reiger, and he could likely find a role on the team’s defense.

Round 7, pick 7: Jakobe Thomas, safety, Miami (6’1” / 211)

Before you say it, yes, I realize that I already drafted a safety in round 1.  However, this is a case of a player who is more highly rated than round 7 falling into Washington’s laps.  Some analysts believe that Thomas has NFL starter potential, and when that kind of talent is available in round 7, I have a hard time passing it up.  In addition, none of the other players still available were either at unfilled positions of need or rated significantly higher than Thomas.  Therefore, he was the pick.  Hopefully he would be able to make it as a special teamer for a year or two until he could get an opportunity to compete for a role on the defense.

Summary

In case you didn’t want to read all of that, here are my picks for Washington:

Rd 1, pick 7 – Caleb Downs, S, Ohio St.

Rd 3, pick 7 – Kyle Louis, OLB, Pittsburgh

Rd 5, pick 7 – Josh Cameron, WR, Baylor

Rd 6, pick 6 – Red Murdock, ILB, Buffalo

Rd 6, pick 28 – Mason Reiger, edge rusher, Wisconsin

Rd 7, pick 7 – Jakobe Thomas, safety, Miami

Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below, and feel free to show your mock drafts as well.