May 06, 2026
Adam Cairns/Imagn Images
Sonny Styles is a freakishly good athlete who could help stabilize the interior of the Washington defense.
After a one year hiatus from picking in the top half of the draft in 2025, the Washington Commanders held the seventh overall pick in the 2026 draft. Because they had previously traded some of their 2026 picks for aging vets, the Commanders only made six picks.
Previous draft grades
• Commanders, Pick 7: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State: Styles had one of the most impressive combine performances ever:
Dude ran a 4.46 and vertical leaped 43 1/2" at 6'5, 244. When he decides that he knows where the ball is going he gets there in a blink and he's a good tackler when he gets there. He can easily run sideline to sideline, and he's a physical enough player to mix it up in the box.
The Commanders now have an interesting group at linebacker.
• As the 7th overall pick, Styles will be expected to be a three-down player.
• They also signed Leo Chenal to a three-year, $24 million deal this offseason. Chenal is an interesting linebacker / edge hybrid who is big, fast, and physical. Steve Spagnuolo didn't often ask Chenal to cover tight ends and running backs in Kansas City, instead allowing him to attack the line of scrimmage from multiple alignments and occasionally spy mobile quarterbacks. But you don't want him covering running backs and tight ends.
• And then there's Frankie Luvu, one of the most overrated players in the sport. Luvu is situational edge rusher masquerading as a three-down linebacker.
Did the Commanders identify that Luvu is a sub-package player only? If so, kudos for the way overdue self-scouting on that one. Perhaps Chanel is the early down guy, and Luvu comes in on obvious passing downs? If that's the plan with Styles never leaving the field, the Commanders may have something there.
The Commanders overcame a bad defense in 2024 and made it to the NFC Championship Game. In 2025 that defense was abysmal. Adding Styles to the mix is obviously a step in the right direction.
I do think it'll be interesting to see what kind of career Caleb Downs has in Dallas vs. the career Styles has in Washington.
• Pick 71: Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson: Williams is a smallish slot receiver who has some shake and can make defenders miss after the catch. His best season was in 2024, when he had 75 catches for 904 yards and 11 TDs.
He made a ton of catches near the line of scrimmage, and as such his career yards per catch average (11.2) isn't very impressive.
A common comp for Williams is Khalil Shakir, and you can see that in the video above.
The Commanders did not have a second-round pick because of all the trades for aging vets they made a year ago.
• Pick 147: Joshua Josephs, EDGE, Tennessee: Josephs is a lean edge rusher at just 243 pounds, but he is a feisty run defender who can set the edge, and he can get the ball out. I like the way he attacks the quarterback's arm.
In 2025, Josephs had 33 tackles, 4 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. He also had 3 forced fumbles in 2024. He wins more reps than his sack numbers would suggest, and he makes big plays on the occasions he gets home. Nice pick in the fifth round.
• Pick 187: Kaytron Allen, RB Penn State: Allen had 4180 career rushing yards and 43 total TDs in his four seasons at Penn State. In 2025, he rushed 210 times for 1303 yards (6.2 YPC) and 15 TDs.
Allen is a thick power runner at 5'11, 216. He didn't run the 40 or any of the other athletic testing drills, likely knowing that he would test poorly. So there's certainly a lack of explosion in his game. But, he runs with good vision, he can push a pile, and he usually falls forward. He's a guy who can keep the offense on schedule with productive early-down runs. Highlight reel:
• Pick 209: Matt Gulbin, C, Michigan State: Gulbin has short arms, small hands, and limited athleticism, so he doesn't have much upside, but he was a good college player with OG/C versatility who has a chance to stick around the league for years as a backup.
• Pick 223: Athan Kaliakmanis, QB, Rutgers: Kaliakmanis was a three-year starter at Rutgers, and he had an alarmingly low career 56.3% completion percentage. The Commanders seemed to want a QB3 to develop behind Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota. Maybe nitpicking here, but in my opinion Georgia Tech's Haynes King was (a) better player, and (b) has a skill set that more closely resembles Daniels and Mariota. But whatever, we're talking about the 223rd pick here.
The Commanders probably would have loved to have taken an edge rusher or interior defensive lineman worthy of the seventh overall pick, or perhaps had Carnell Tate fall to them. But that's just not what this draft was. The best players at the top of the draft largely did not play priority positions, and so, many of the teams picking high selected players at non-premier spots.
The Commanders were one of them, selecting an off-ball linebacker in Styles at seventh overall. Aside from maybe selecting Caleb Downs instead, it's hard to hate that pick.
I imagine the Commanders thought they would be picking lower in this draft when they traded their second-round pick as part of the deal to acquire Laremy Tunsil. That would have been the 38th pick, where the Commanders would have had a number of appealing options on the board at positions of need, notably Denzel Boston, R Mason Thomas, and Cashius Howell. (To be clear, Tunsil is a good player, and probably worth what the Commanders gave up for him. I just don't think the Commanders would have included that second-round pick if they thought it would land in the top 40.)
But ultimately with what the Commanders left themselves to work with, I thought they found decent value with their selections of Williams, Josephs, and Allen.
Grade: B
The Commanders didn't wow the national folks like the Giants and Cowboys did, but they fared well enough:
🚨 2026 NFL Draft Team Grades
— René Bugner (@RNBWCV) April 27, 2026
In my annual draft grades round-up, I have compiled 24 different evaluations and calculated the GPA for all 32 teams.
I sorted the evaluations by GPA as well. From left (soft) to right (hard graders).
Thanks to all who give out grades every year! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VysunPaW9H
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