leaks for the first 9 weeks of the Commanders schedule
this looks brutal
weeks 2, 5, 7 tbd
also, not sure why the NFL put both Eagles games in the first 8 weeks of the season
The Commanders were below average in this metric in the 2023 draft and again in 2024, consistently reaching for players.
But last year, Washington finished #11.
This year, they finished No. 1 in the NFL in terms of draft capital over expected.
Washington didnโt have much capital, but it grabbed value early and often.
It started in Round 1, when Sonny Styles slipped from an expected top-five pick to the Commanders at No. 7.
With Fridayโs only pick, the Commanders drafted WR Antonio Williams in Round 3 at No. 71 when he was expected to go at No. 66.
But their Saturday picks flashed even more value.
In Round 5, they took EDGE Joshua Josephs at No. 146 when he was expected to go No. 77.
In Round 6, they drafted RB Kaytron Allen at No. 186 when he was expected to go No. 130.
Later that round, they grabbed C Matt Gulbin from Michigan State at No. 208 when he was expected to go No. 168.
This was an exercise in maximizing draft capital and making more out of less by drafting players the vast majority of evaluators expected to go earlier in the draft.
#Commanders 2026 projected offense:
โข QB Jayden Daniels
โข RB Bill Croskey-Merritt
โข RB Rachaad White
โข WR Terry McLaurin
โข WR Antonio Williams
โข WR Dyami Brown
โข WR Luke McCaffrey/Treylon Burks/Jaylin Lane
โข TE Chig Okonkwo
โข TE John Bates
โข TE Ben Sinnott
One thing that stands out about Styles is the fit within Daronte Jonesโ defense.
There were times where Styles would play the contain role and hold back in pursuit. In DC, expect Jones to take the training wheels off and allow Styles to flat out hunt. Really, really nice player-scheme fit.
Malik Nabers said that when he played against Caleb Downs in college, Downs was calling out every one of his routes on every play.
Caleb Downs was a freshmen!
"You cannot do better than the Dallas Cowboys did with their first pick! That's as good as you can do... He is an incredible Ed Reed level player."
@colincowherd thinks the Cowboys got the steal of the draft in Caleb Downs