The Washington Commanders’ 2026 NFL Draft order picture looks much clearer heading into the final week of the season
The Commanders’ selections in the 2026 NFL Draft are almost finalized heading into the season finale in Week 18, and they can’t pick any later than seventh overall.
The Washington Commanders have just one game left in the 2025 season, and at 4-12, everyone is ready for the offseason.
The team still has to see what they have on the roster in the season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles, and then the most important offseason begins in Washington. We’ve been keeping our eyes open on where the Commanders will finish the season, and how the rest of the matchups around the league will impact their 2026 NFL Draft order.
After the Week 17 slate of games finished up, the Commanders’ draft order picture looks clearer, and we now know their floor and ceiling.
The Commanders will be picking no later than No. 7 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft
The Commanders needed a couple of outcomes to happen to jump higher in the draft, and some happened, while others didn’t. The Cleveland Browns upset the Steelers, which improved their record to 4-12. They still have the lower strength of schedule, though, so they’re ahead of the Commanders still. That can change with certain matchups in Week 18, but also if the Browns win again, of course.
Regardless, if the Commanders win and the Browns lose, the Commanders will be picking no later than No. 7 in the first round.
The absolute best-case scenario, for the highest possible draft pick, which is highly unlikely, is that the Commanders lose, and the Browns, New York Giants, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals all win. The Commanders would move up a spot for every win by any of those teams, and the absolute ceiling is the No. 2 overall pick.
The likeliest outcome for the Commanders is finishing with the No. 6 or No. 7 pick, and they will have numerous decisions to make.
What the Commanders could do with their first-round pick
Finishing just outside the top five, after finishing with only four or five wins, is brutal, and it might knock them out of any possibility of trading back. There’s still a lot of time left between now and the 2026 NFL Draft, but it’s unlikely a team would trade up to No. 6 or No. 7 in this draft unless someone crazy falls. Yes, the Commanders only have six picks in the draft, and trading back would be ideal if they’re offered a large enough haul, but that might not be possible.
There are only a few quarterbacks worth taking in the first round, and you probably need a top-five pick for one of them. The Commanders could stay at their spot and have a shot at drafting a prospect like S Caleb Downs, EDGE Rueben Bain Jr, WR Jordyn Tyson, or RB Jeremiyah Love. Whatever they do, they have to nail every pick and continue to rebuild for the future.
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