Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.<\/a><\/p>\nAfter a disappointing 5-12 season, the Commanders need to restock at core positions. With\u00a0Marshon Lattimore\u00a0and\u00a0Jonathan Jones\u00a0departing this offseason, cornerback is high on that list. Washington brought in\u00a0Amik Robertson\u00a0to\u00a0help on the inside, but it needs an elite shutdown corner. Delane did that better than anyone in the nation last season, allowing only 10 completions for 119 yards while showing a penchant for timely tackles and big plays. Despite being targeted only 36 times, Delane picked off two passes to show off his playmaking skills.<\/p>\n
Commanders Wire:<\/p>\n
Washington didn\u2019t lose Lattimore; it released him. As far as Jones or Noah Igbinoghene go, the Commanders didn\u2019t fight too hard to keep. Now, bringing in only Amik Robertson was a risky move. He can play, and he\u2019s versatile. It\u2019s a good start, but the Commanders need more help. Things will look a lot better here if Mike Sainristil bounces back from a rough second season. There is excitement about second-year cornerback Trey Amos. Delane is an excellent prospect, though, and would be a worthy pick. The combination of him, Sainristil and Amos would give Washington a young trio to build around for years to come.<\/p>\n
3rd round, No. 71 overall: Notre Dame WR Malachi Fields<\/p>\n
Miller’s take:<\/p>\n
Without a second-round pick, the Commanders would wait until Round 3 to get a potential steal at wide receiver. Fields didn’t have elite college production, but the 6-foot-4, 218-pounder can win 50-50 balls and has the size to beat up defenders opposite the speedy\u00a0Terry McLaurin.<\/p>\n
Commanders Wire:<\/p>\n
Fields would give Washington something it lacks outside of Treylon Burks: size. At this pick, Fields would be a good selection for the Commanders. It looks even better assuming Washington eventually signs Brandon Aiyuk once the 49ers release him. If the Commanders do not add Aiyuk, adding Fields is not enough. While San Francisco probably hangs onto Aiyuk until after the draft, Washington has a pretty good idea if it can land him. If Peters feels its unlikely to happen, then a wide receiver is more likely in the first round.<\/p>\n
5th round, No. 147 overall: Arkansas QB Taylor Green<\/p>\n
A quarterback? Sure, why not? Jayden Daniels was injured multiple times last season. Once he signs an extension, the Commanders will no longer be able to afford Marcus Mariota as a backup. So, it makes sense to draft a potential long-term backup who\u2019ll be cheap. Green possesses immense upside, as he stands 6-foot-6, weighs 227 pounds and runs a 4.36 40-yard dash. Green possesses a big arm, but he\u2019s still a bit raw. He\u2019s exactly the type of player you draft on Day 3 to stash and develop. And Washington wouldn\u2019t have to change the offense if Daniels were to miss any time.<\/p>\n
6th round, No. 187 overall: Michigan TE Marlin Klein<\/p>\n
This one doesn\u2019t make a ton of sense. The Commanders signed Chig Okonkwo and still have big plans for former second-round pick Ben Sinnott. John Bates is arguably the NFL\u2019s best blocking tight end. Washington still loves Colson Yankoff and has spent all offseason talking up Lawrence Cager. This is a deep room. Would Klein even make the roster?<\/p>\n
6th round, No. 209 overall: Maryland S Jalen Huskey<\/p>\n
Washington signed Nick Cross in free agency, and he\u2019s only 24 years old. So, in this instance, the Commanders land another Terp. Huskey is a productive and experienced player. He had 11 interceptions over the last three seasons. He doesn\u2019t have a high upside due to limited athleticism, but he\u2019s a quality player who will stick at the next level.<\/p>\n
7th round, No. overall: Ohio State RB CJ Donaldson<\/p>\n
Donaldson is a big running back (6-foot-2, 230) who played three seasons at West Virginia before transferring to Ohio State. He actually came to WVU as a tight end, so he can catch passes out of the backfield, which is a bonus as Washington looks to replace Austin Ekeler\u2019s production. No, he isn\u2019t at Ekeler\u2019s level, but it is something he can do. Peters hit big on a seventh-round running back last season. Can he do it again?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"March 31, 2026, 12:14 a.m. ET The Washington Commanders are in a good position heading into next month\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":575853,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[202558,64,63,593,85,257054,257055,244202,203469,282416,203148,269439,282418,269437,282417,203146,203142,223433,232198,274058,202563,203134,203139,203914,202561],"class_list":{"0":"post-575852","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-accessfree","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-nfl","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-sstssportsnflcommanders","14":"tag-sstsncommanders","15":"tag-tag2026-nfl-draft","16":"tag-tagamerican-football","17":"tag-tagben-sinnott","18":"tag-tagespn-inc","19":"tag-tagjayden-daniels","20":"tag-taglsu-tigers","21":"tag-tagmarcus-mariota","22":"tag-tagmike-sainristil","23":"tag-tagnational-sports","24":"tag-tagnfl","25":"tag-tagnfl-draft","26":"tag-tagnfl-mock-draft","27":"tag-tagnick-cross","28":"tag-tagoverall-positive","29":"tag-tagsmg-listicle","30":"tag-tagsports-news","31":"tag-tagwashington-commanders","32":"tag-typestory"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=575852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/575852\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/575853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=575852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=575852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=575852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}