ESPN's Dan Orlovsky admits that he's been bullish on the Washington Commanders and how they have attacked the 2026 offseason. It's been an "un-talked about, but really strong offseason," he said, with the hirings of David Blough and Daronte Jones as their new coordinators as well as the free agent signings that helped the roster get younger and faster -- a point of emphasis for the front office.
Now, with the draft just over two weeks away, the Commanders can take several paths with their first-round pick, and Orlovsky likes all of them.
"I think there's a lot of available options," Orlovsky said.
The Commanders, who finished 5-12 last season, have several positions of need on their roster as they try to replicate some of the success they had in 2024. While they didn't reset the market with any of their acquisitions, the decisions they made, such as signing both Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson to a defense that desperately needed an improved pass rush, the Commanders don't feel obligated to address a certain position with their first-round pick. They can truly take the best player available, which should be beneficial in a class that is full of unpredictable outcomes.
The Commanders have been connected to about a dozen players in mock drafts over the last two months. In recent weeks, that number has been whittled down to about six prospects, from wide receiver Carnell Tate and linebacker Sonny Styles to pass rusher Rueben Bain and cornerback Mansoor Delane. All four players could make sense for Washington, but the team will need to see how picks 2-6 work out before they can make a final decision.
Regardless of who falls to them, Orlovsky believes the Commanders are going to get a good player.
"I could sit here and unequivocally tell you that a Caleb Downs or a Sonny Styles falls...you sit there and say, 'It makes a lot of sense to have a piece like that,'" Orlovsky said.
Both Styles and Downs showed off versatility and athleticism at Ohio State, which Orlovsky said makes them good fits for Jones' new defensive scheme. He compared Downs to Harrison Smith's role with the Minnesota Vikings, which required him to know everyone's role on defense. Styles offers some of that as well, but Orlovsky sees him as more of a piece that a coordinator can move around to put him in the best position to win.
"If one of those two players were the selection, you would sit there and say, 'That totally makes sense for exactly who Washington wants to be,'" Orlovsky said.
But the Commanders also need offensive playmakers, and they've been connected to perhaps the best in the class in running back Jeremiyah Love. With no serious debate as to which quarterback will be the first taken in the draft, where Love will be taken has become the most debated topic this offseason. Most analysts see him as a surefire top 10 pick with his range going as high as No. 3 overall to as low as No. 8.
Some see pairing Love with quarterback Jayden Daniels as having the potential to be one of the best backfields in the NFL, despite others saying the Commanders would be better served by taking a player with more positional value. Orlovsky agrees that the possibility of Love and Daniels being together is enticing, adding that people need to look at Love as more of a weapon than a running back.
"He is so versatile and athletic in the things that you can do," Orlovsky said. "There are people who are widely respected that would sit there and tell you if you had him just play wide receiver in the slot, he would catch 60-plus catches just as a slot receiver in the NFL."
No matter what the Commanders do at No. 7, it will be with providing Daniels with the best opportunity to succeed as the top priority. Orlovsky is also high on the third-year quarterback and thinks he has a bounce back performance in store for the 2026 season. However, that might hinge upon the Commanders adding at least one more weapon for Daniels to work with on offense.
"If they do that, then yeah, I would fully expect us to see in '26 the version of quarterback we saw in '24."
Check out the video above to hear Bryan Colbert Jr.'s full interview with Orlovsky.
