The opinions expressed in this article do not reflect those of the team.
After months of speculation, the 2026 NFL Draft is here, and by the time the weekend is done, the Commanders will have more new players to improve their roster.
This is the third draft with general manager Adam Peters leading a front office that is dedicated to finding players who best fit head coach Dan Quinn's vision for the franchise. They have six picks to do so, including the No. 7 overall selection.
Check back to this live blog for every move leading up to the pick.
8:01 p.m.
And finally, after what feels like a longer wait time than normal, the NFL draft has begun. We'll finally get answers on where some of the best players in this year's class will go and see who the Commanders will take to improve their roster. But first, the Las Vegas Raiders are on the clock, and we all know who they're going to take.
8:12 p.m.
And there it is: the Raiders took Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick. Mendoza was clearly the best quarterback in the class, and now he's charged with helping get the Raiders back to being a winning franchise.
8:15 p.m.
And now the Jets are on the clock, and the attention has always been on the defensive ends, Arvell Reese and David Bailey. In a way, this is where the draft truly begins, as we're about to get in some murky territory as to who teams could pick.
8:18 p.m.
And the Jets took David Bailey out of Texas Tech. Bailey was the one of the most successful edge rushers in college football last year with 14.5 sacks, and now he's going to help a Jets defense that desperately needs help with putting pressure on quarterbacks.
8:24 p.m.
The Cardinals were connected to Jeremiyah Love late in the draft process, and they just added the best player in the draft to their offense that needs more firepower.
8:27 p.m.
And now the focus shifts to the Titans, who have several needs on both sides of the ball Reese is still there, but so is Sonny Styles, both of whom would help bring life to Robert Salah's defense.
8:29 p.m.
Kind of a shocker here, but the Titans took Carnell Tate with their pick. They also need weapons for Cam Ward, and Tate, while not elite in any one category, is considered the top receiver in the class and viewed as the safest pick at the position.
8:32 p.m.
The Giants have to thrilled with this, because they just got one of the best athletes in the draft in Reese. Reese wasn't used exclusively as a pass rusher but will likely transition to that role. Reese killed the combine earlier this year, and he makes a Giants pass rusher, which was already formidable, even better.
8:35 p.m.
And we have our first trade of the night! The Browns have traded the sixth overall pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for the ninth overall pick.
8:52 p.m.
Okay, so a lot of stuff just went down.
First, the Chiefs traded three picks away to take LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane -- the best at his position in the class. So, that left the Commanders with Sonny Styles, who many view as one of the best overall players in the class. Styles is viewed as a leader, but he also was insanely productive with the Buckeyes and put up one of the best combines in NFL history for the position. The Commanders have completely redone their linebacker room, which now includes Leo Chenal and Frankie Luvu.
8:56 p.m.
Here are some other updates. The Saints used the eighth overall pick to take Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who started to rise up draft boards after his private workout. The injury issues have plagued Tyson for months, but there's no doubt that he has the most talent at the position.
