The 2026 Draft Thread - 1st Round - 7th overall

[HTTR]

Love going to Dallas or the Giants is pretty damn disgusting. 🤮🤮🤮 How much would it really take for us to move up from 7 to 3? Second rounder next year? Would be a bold move for sure. Maybe they should consider it.

As for Tate… I don’t know why people are so skeptical of his upside. Of course he could end up being a number one…. as could any receiver ranked at the top of his draft class. Maybe he wouldn’t be top 10 in a stronger draft, but he would be a lock first round pick any year. Plenty of current number one NFL receivers who came in less touted than Tate. Take him if he falls!

Unfortunately though, I still think Cleveland is going to take Tate and we will be left deciding between Delane and Downs. They need a receiver just like we do. I have to agree with the people saying Delane will likely be our pick in the end. Hopefully there will be a surprise though because, as I’ve said all along, I prefer offense.

Enjoy the draft tonight everyone! Here is my final order of preference fwiw…

Love
Tate
Styles
Delane
Downs
Bailey

 

[Always Commander Never Captain]

Because he's good at coach speak, I take it more seriously for him to give some unsolicited lets go deep talk into how this room can work without the question being that probing -- and his point somewhat tracks with how they've looked at that position for their tenure this far.

I recall the rationalization that they had about last years room judging by what Keim said in a podcast -- that is, they were surprised that all three guys: Gallup, KJ Osborn and Chris Moore didn't work out. I gather they thought they'd have their next Zaccheus in that group. Among their other moves

Hold up...they were surprised dumpster diving wasn't providing good WR3 production?

That's just...uugghhh...the hubris.

We're totally injuring Jayden again this year and he'll either be damaged goods or demand a trade aren't we?

 

[burgold]

Hold up...they were surprised dumpster diving wasn't providing good WR3 production?

That's just...uugghhh...the hubris.

We're totally injuring Jayden again this year and he'll either be damaged goods or demand a trade aren't we?

In fairness, I think they expected the dumpster diving to be bottom of the roster. Sixth man type stuff.

I think they planned for Terry, Noah, and Deebo to be the starting three with McCaffrey and Lane (not sure if Lane was drafted yet) as the depth receivers with potential and one of Moore, Gallup, etc. to be the emergency fill ins.

Then everything went to hell because of injuries and Terry's hold out. It was a bad plan that got even worse because of injury. As SIP said, injuries were probably foreseeable when it came to Noah and maybe Deebo, but they assembled the receiver room like they were immune from bad luck.

 

[Conn]

I wouldn't be upset if we went Tate over Styles. Daniels and Blough need someone and I'm in the group that thinks that Aiyuk is far from a sure thing. It may take him a while to get back his sea legs. He may never get them back. Look how Deshawn Watson never became a good QB again after his long time off. I was happier when I thought Aiyuk was going to be a luxury pick up. If he worked out, we won the lottery on a cheapish one-year prove-it gamble. If he didn't work out then we had other answers. Right now, it feels like Aiyuk might be the plan and that feels really risky to me.

I also wouldn't be upset if we went Styles or Delane over Tate just because I think they may be superior talents, but it would be a farsighted move. It'd be a move that looks at what is best for the team two to three years from now. It would also put this season in jeopardy. Yes, defense wins championships, but I don't see this D being one player away from the '85 Bears which means to win we will need offense and defense.

I do think having one player in each unit who is good helps. Terry is still a good receiver. Bill is a good back with scary speed. Chig is a good tight end. Tunsil is an excellent left tackle. Jayden (going off his rookie year) is an electric QB. So maybe the offense's pantry isn't completely empty, but it needs help. Unless unexpected help arrives from within it needs a lot of help.

Important to note that “farsighted” doesn’t just mean you have superior distance vision, it also means you can’t see what’s right in front of your face. So that may indeed end up an apt descriptor!

 

[Always Commander Never Captain]

In fairness, I think they expected the dumpster diving to be bottom of the roster. Sixth man type stuff.

I think they planned for Terry, Noah, and Deebo to be the starting three with McCaffrey and Lane (not sure if Lane was drafted yet) as the depth receivers with potential and one of Moore, Gallup, etc. to be the emergency fill ins.

Then everything went to hell because of injuries and Terry's hold out. It was a bad plan that got even worse because of injury. As SIP said, injuries were probably foreseeable when it came to Noah and maybe Deebo, but they assembled the receiver room like they were immune from bad luck.

Injuries were also foreseeable with Terry. Players that have lengthy holdouts tend to get nagging injuries during the next season. The longer the holdout the more likely it is. Trey Hendrickson also had a lengthy holdout last season and then developed a core muscle injury limiting him to just 7 games. The decision to wait and delay on Terry raised probabilities of injury outcomes. They knew bad luck was as common as good luck there, they just planned on getting lucky.

As you said, it was a bad plan.

 

[Conn]

I am a defense first guy.

I must be honest, with all the freaking potential Styles offer...which is insane...Id say in September Love and Tate offer more.

If either of those 2 are there, AP might regret not taking them for the offense (unless he has a trick up his sleeve)

Not even convinced the guy has sleeves yet, never mind tricks

 

[Anselmheifer]

The thing that makes me nervous about Styles, or one thing, is the miss rate for 1st round linebackers, even when taken high. There are a lot of Devin Bush, Ronald Curry’s out there.

I’ll also say that taking Love would help our defense. If we can control the ball, shorten the game and not expose the D as much, then they’d obviously perform better.

And I still think we should trade up for Love.

 

[DWinzit]

Yesterday Hogs Haven updated their Commanders visit and meetings tracker from the prior on posted on 4/10.

Note only 20 of the top 30 visits are posted. Must have been some kept hushed

Washington Commanders 2026 NFL Draft: Final Visits and Meetings Tracker

Tracking all of the college prospects the Washington Commanders are meeting

www.hogshaven.com

Primus Porcus

 

[washington football]

I try not to elaborate too much here, but as many people have stated many times? Due to the fact that the previous administration was terrible in drafting? We lack a sufficient amount of foundational players.

We have been paying for this and it is not an easy grave to dig out of. I feel we are still short on both the offense and the defense sides of the ball

The thing that makes me nervous about Styles, or one thing, is the miss rate for 1st round linebackers, even when taken high. There are a lot of Devin Bush, Ronald Curry’s out there.

I’ll also say that taking Love would help our defense. If we can control the ball, shorten the game and not expose the D as much, then they’d obviously perform better.

And I still think we should trade up for Love.

What would the trade up cost? I have a feeling looking at schudule next year we are looking at a five to seven win season. If we had more picks I would definitely think about it. We have drafted so poorly the last couple of season. We will need next years picks especially since we already traded are 2027 second rounder. It seems like we have holes everywhere on this roster.

 

[actorguy1]

Where do they pull from, national media personalities? These 20 mocks are those wittled down from say 40 national media mock drafters and the 20 left off were never accurate?

That's what they have so far, last year they had 174 entries

 

[Faithful Fan]

Both are massive holes

He’s right, the next tweet in the chain is good too:



Pretty much in line with what I’ve been saying. CB and WR are our biggest needs, but probably CB moreso.

I’m still expecting Delane or Tate to be the pick tonight, either would be a great player that fills a big need. I’m choosing to be happy about that.

 

[Dlts20]

This is one of the things I love about him and Jennings. Coaches love that type of stuff. It can change games at times. The difference between a 5yd run and 25

 

[KDawg]

He’s right, the next tweet in the chain is good too:



Pretty much in line with what I’ve been saying. CB and WR are our biggest needs, but probably CB moreso.

I’m still expecting Delane or Tate to be the pick tonight, either would be a great player that fills a big need. I’m choosing to be happy about that.

I cannot stand that they are banking on guys who have proven nothing to be the answer at receiver.

I agree they probably think that way.

But I hate it.

Oh well, I’ve already determined Tate is the pick so. It is…

 

[Dlts20]

Absolutely. You got some covering this team like Ashooh and Bram going let Jayden deal with the WRs, he will make dude, go get defense. I don't get it. Other teams are obssessed with ensuring their young QB thrives.

To be fair, Jayden had to be a hero, not just because of offense. He had to be a hero because the defense was trash and it got twice as bad last season. Going defense in this case helps Jayden also. I won't be upset by us going that route

 

[KDawg]

To be fair, Jayden had to be a hero, not just because of offense. He had to be a hero because the defense was trash and it got twice as bad last season. Going defense in this case helps Jayden also. I won't be upset by us going that route

Sure. Defense helps QBs. But I feel like we’ve made improvements on defense and our offense, at best, is stagnant.

Why do we need to just improve one side of the ball?

 

[KDawg]

Steve Smiths Top 20 Receivers:

Honorable mention: Stribling, Ole Miss
20. Reggie Virgil, Texas Tech
19. Malik Benson, Oregon
18. Ja'Kobi Lane, USC
17. Bryce Lance, ND St
16. Malachi Fields, ND
15. Antonio Williams, Clemson
14. Elijah Sarratt, Indiana
13, Chris Brazzell, Tennessee
12. Omar Cooper, Indiana
11. Skyler Bell, UConn
10. Ted Hurst, Georgia St
9. Zach Branch, Georgia
8. Chris Bell, Louisville
7. Germie Bernard, Alabama
6. KC Concepcion, A&M
5. Denzel Boston, Washington
4. Deion Burks, Oklahoma
3. Makai Lemon, USC
2. Jordyn Tyson, AZ St
1. Carnell Tate, Ohio State

 

[Dlts20]

Sure. Defense helps QBs. But I feel like we’ve made improvements on defense and our offense, at best, is stagnant.

Why do we need to just improve one side of the ball?

Because our D was damn near historically bad, we still had a top 5 rushing offense, the 2 best players on our team play offense and they barely played last season. Most of all, there are no real FA defensive players left while there are still receivers out there. That's not saying that I wouldn't go with Tate but I am more than OK with defense.

We hardly had Jayden or Terry last year, definitely didn't have Chig. Bill will be more ready. Aiyuk still has potential and I still see us signing a Deebo, Diggs Allen, etc. I also think that Jennings is truly back in play if we don't get a WR. We still have cap space to give him a one year deal for decent money. I personally think that Burks is a sleeper. Yes, we are wishing for a lot.. Lol, but we were last in defense last year and signed a bunch of short term guys

 

[Dlts20]

Love looks amazing but thee is no way that I would move up for him. I am also intrigued by the Randal kid that they like

 

[skinsinparadise]

I cannot stand that they are banking on guys who have proven nothing to be the answer at receiver.

I agree they probably think that way.

But I hate it.

Oh well, I’ve already determined Tate is the pick so. It is…

Can a third round Wr strike gold and they get a steal like Terry? Sure. Would I bet on? Nope. but its possible.

Can Aiyuk who hasn't played a game for more than a season ago and coming off of a major injury and might not be with the team until August --- learn the playbook real fast, regain his strength in his knee and not lose a beat even though he hasn't played in eons? Sure, why not? Would i bet on it? Nope.

So while I actually agree that both WR and CB are very weak and CB might be even weaker. But we got a three year theme cooking with Jayden that there is no sense of urgency to give him weapons.

Take edge. They got Armstrong coming back from an injury but he looked good last season. They were high on Wise last year got hurt and they brought him back. But they didn't want to leave that spot to chance. They signed two FAs for big money. And then even signed another for depth. They weren't messing around on edge, they weren't leaving it to chance.

 

[Riggo44]

Offense was way better than defense last year, Daniels is a force multiplier, NE and SEA defenses were better than their offenses...

...I still have a very hard time ignoring that Springfield Gorge level hole at receiver