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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - APRIL 24: A general view of the video board on stage with The Pick Is In with the Washington Commanders 29th pick during the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft on April 24, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 NFL Draft kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. ET, and we won’t have to wait too long to see who the Washington Commanders select. The league has shortened the time teams have on the clock in the first round from 10 to 8 minutes in an effort to reign in an event that typically takes over 4 hours and ends after midnight. If you’re a “normal” dayshift worker, that’s a tough ask. Less time between picks could also lead to picks getting “backed up” like they do on other days when the picks happen, but the television announcements lag behind.
Commanders GM Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn enter tonight’s draft with a lot of pressure to get their first pick right. One, they’re coming off a 5-12 season that was supposed to go a lot better after reaching the NFC Championship game in their first year working together. There’s also pressure to hit on their pick at No. 7 overall because they only have one other Top 100 pick and don’t have their 2nd- and 4th-round picks due to the Laremy Tunsil trade. They were able to recoup a pick by trading RB Brian Robinson to the San Francisco 49er, but that was only a 6th-rounder.
With the NFL’s new 8 minutes per pick rule in effect, the No. 7 overall pick should be announced around an hour after the event starts. If each of the six teams ahead of them use their full allotted time, the Commanders would be on the clock by 8:56 p.m., and their Day 1 should be over after picking one of the top players on their board. There’s a possibly that Washington could make a trade, either up(!) or down, but Peters has said he didn’t expect to get an offer that makes trading make sense for the franchise in the first round. They are open to any moves that will improve the team, and building around franchise QB Jayden Daniels is a big priority.
Are you watching tonight, and will you stick through it for all 32 picks?
Round 1
When: Thursday April 23rd at 8 p.m. ET
Time per pick: 8 minutes
TV channels: NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes
Online: WatchESPN, NFL.com, ESPN+ (signup here), fuboTV (signup here)
Radio: ESPN Radio, SiriusXM NFL Radio
Odds:Courtesy of our friends at FanDuel
Washington Commanders 2026 NFL Draft Picks
Round 1 – #7
Round 3 – #71
Round 5 – #147
Round 6 – #187
Round 6 (via SF) – #209
Round 7 – #223
Estimated time: 8:56 p.m. ET (7th overall)
- Winning the Super Bowl Odds: +4,500
- Winning the NFC Odds: +2,500
- Winning the NFC East Odds: +400
- Jayden Daniels MVP Odds: +2,000
- Commanders Regular Season Wins: Over 7.5 -135, Under 7.5 +115
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