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The 2026 NFL Draft is only three days away, and for the Washington Commanders, it can't come soon enough. Washington holds the No. 7 overall pick, which has them in position to land an impact player, regardless of what happens with the first six picks.
Usually, teams picking in the top 10 have a sense of what players will be available. It's different this year. The Commanders have been linked to numerous players due to the unpredictable nature of this class. It's not necessarily a strong class at the top; much of that is due to only having one quarterback prospect in the top 10.
That doesn't mean there aren't elite talents in this draft. There are. Most just happen to play what are considered non-premium positions, such as running back (Jeremiyah Love), off-ball linebacker (Sonny Styles) and safety (Caleb Downs). Premium positions such as wide receiver are considered deep, but lack game-changing talents at the top.
This leads us to a recent story from Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report, highlighting one prospect every team should avoid. In this exercise, Ballentine cautions readers that this doesn't mean the prospect isn't good, but instead, "doesn't make sense" based on schemes, situations, and other factors.
For the Commanders, Ballentine says Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate is the player they should avoid.
Not sure we agree with Ballentine here. If you are arguing against Tate, the only knock is that you don't consider him a future WR1. Some believe his ceiling his a high-end WR2, with Tee Higgins often mentioned as the comparison. There's nothing wrong with that. However, Terry McLaurin will be 31 this year. If the Commanders are spending a top-10 pick on a wideout, they better be confident he can be a future WR1. They may feel that way about Tate.
As for B/R's argument that Washington should only pick a defensive player here. Not true. If the best player is a defensive player, by all means, that should be the pick. But the strategy going into the draft should not be "we have to take a defensive player at No. 7 because our defense stunk last year." It did stink, but the Commanders made serious commitments to that side of the ball in free agency. It still needs help, and a player such as Sonny Styles, Rueben Bain, Mansoor Delane, or Caleb Downs would be a huge addition, but there is no need to force the pick.
Everything the Commanders do should be about helping Jayden Daniels. Anyone who follows Washington would understand that there is a gigantic need at receiver opposite McLaurin.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Analyst names player to avoid in 2026 NFL Draft
Continue reading...
Usually, teams picking in the top 10 have a sense of what players will be available. It's different this year. The Commanders have been linked to numerous players due to the unpredictable nature of this class. It's not necessarily a strong class at the top; much of that is due to only having one quarterback prospect in the top 10.
That doesn't mean there aren't elite talents in this draft. There are. Most just happen to play what are considered non-premium positions, such as running back (Jeremiyah Love), off-ball linebacker (Sonny Styles) and safety (Caleb Downs). Premium positions such as wide receiver are considered deep, but lack game-changing talents at the top.
This leads us to a recent story from Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report, highlighting one prospect every team should avoid. In this exercise, Ballentine cautions readers that this doesn't mean the prospect isn't good, but instead, "doesn't make sense" based on schemes, situations, and other factors.
For the Commanders, Ballentine says Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate is the player they should avoid.
Not sure we agree with Ballentine here. If you are arguing against Tate, the only knock is that you don't consider him a future WR1. Some believe his ceiling his a high-end WR2, with Tee Higgins often mentioned as the comparison. There's nothing wrong with that. However, Terry McLaurin will be 31 this year. If the Commanders are spending a top-10 pick on a wideout, they better be confident he can be a future WR1. They may feel that way about Tate.
As for B/R's argument that Washington should only pick a defensive player here. Not true. If the best player is a defensive player, by all means, that should be the pick. But the strategy going into the draft should not be "we have to take a defensive player at No. 7 because our defense stunk last year." It did stink, but the Commanders made serious commitments to that side of the ball in free agency. It still needs help, and a player such as Sonny Styles, Rueben Bain, Mansoor Delane, or Caleb Downs would be a huge addition, but there is no need to force the pick.
Everything the Commanders do should be about helping Jayden Daniels. Anyone who follows Washington would understand that there is a gigantic need at receiver opposite McLaurin.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Analyst names player to avoid in 2026 NFL Draft
Continue reading...
