Washington Commanders NFL draft picks 2026: Round-by-round selections

Few teams had a more disappointing season than the 2025 Washington Commanders. Acing their draft class in the 2026 NFL Draft will be key in returning to their 2024 form.

Washington’s 2024 season featured an outstanding rookie season from quarterback Jayden Daniels and a run to the NFC championship game. The 2025 season featured injuries to Daniels and lead wide receiver Terry McLaurin, among others, as well as a 5-12 record and no playoff berth.

The Commanders have started their offseason strong so far. Free agent edge rushers Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson, defensive lineman Tim Settle and linebacker Leo Chenal are solid defensive improvements. And off the field, Washington knocked the designs of their new uniforms out of the park.

Ahead of the 2026 season, the Commanders still need to make a few more upgrades to their roster to set themselves up for another playoff run. Washington only has a couple of top-100 picks in this year’s draft, so general manager Adam Peters has some work cut out for him.

Here’s a closer look at the Commanders’ 2026 NFL Draft outlook, including the picks they own, roster needs and potential best fits over the seven rounds of the draft:

The Commanders have six picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Here’s the complete list:

Round 1, Pick 7: LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State

He’s been widely compared to Fred Warner, whom GM Adam Peters helped bring to San Francisco. Yet, in addition to being a cerebral player, Styles is a luminary athlete who could assume the role in the middle of Washington’s defense given ILB Bobby Wagner has not re-signed – and neither recently signed Leo Chenal nor Frankie Luvu, who’s under contract for one more year, seem like ideal fits to fill his void. — Nate Davis

Round 3, Pick 71
Round 5, Pick 147
Round 6, Pick 187
Round 6, Pick 209 (from 49ers)
Round 7, Pick 223

LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State at No. 7 overall – Grade: B+

Adam Peters continues to give Dan Quinn and new coordinator Daronte Jones some major assets to overhaul the defense. Styles is not only hyperathletic but incredibly savvy and capable of cleaning up everything in front of him. Caleb Downs could have been a consideration here, but Styles can offer plenty as someone who can take control of the second level of this unit. — Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz

Commanders 2026 NFL Draft needs

Wide receiver

Terry McLaurin will be back for his eighth season in Washington, but he’s coming off of an injury-riddled 2025 in which he missed a career-high seven games. When McLaurin wasn’t around last season, the Commanders had Deebo Samuel to shoulder the load of targets in the passing game, but he’s a free agent.

While Washington did sign free agents Dyami Brown and Van Jefferson, the offense could still use a true No. 2 wideout to pair with McLaurin. If the Commanders are able to add a receiver that can eventually take over from McLaurin as the team’s new No. 1 pass-catcher, that would be even more ideal.

Cornerback

Cornerback has been a weak point on Washington’s roster for a few years now. Commanders fans remember the shaky play of Benjamin St-Juste in 2024. Then Marshon Lattimore came to the nation’s capital in a trade and promptly disappointed with subpar play of his own in the back half of 2024 and the start of 2025 before tearing his ACL.

Third-year Mike Sainristil and second-year Trey Amos are currently projected to hold things down on the outside entering 2026. If the Commanders could add another outside cornerback, that could allow Sainristil to kick back inside to nickel, as has long been the plan. If Washington’s secondary could get a boost to complement the free agency investment in edge rushers, the Commanders’ passing defense would start to look a lot more formidable.