The opinions expressed in this podcast and article do not reflect those of the team.

The Washington Commanders' "Drive to the Draft" podcast is starting to rank each position in the 2026 NFL Draft, and they're starting things off with pass rushers. Here are Commanders analyst Logan Paulsen's top 10 edge rush prospects in the draft.

10. Romello Height

• One thing: "I was a little on the fence about putting him in. He's really scheme specific, but when you look at his time at Texas Tech, he does all of those pass rush things at a high level. He has the spin move; he's got a cross chop; he's got a nice dip move and a ghost move. He understands how to time and anticipate the snap count."

9. Derrick Moore

• One thing: "At the Senior Bowl, he had that great rep against Markell Bell, which kind of puts you on the radar. I thought he had a pretty solid week of practice. He did a really good job of being physical in the run game ... I just saw a guy who is a little position specific. I think you want him to be a 3-4 outline backer or a crash nine edge, but you see the way he's able to just snap tackles in terms of pass rush and use his arm length to really collapse the pocket."

8. T.J. Parker

• One thing: "He kind of reminds me of Montez Sweat in terms of him being a little tight in the hips. He's a little tight in the upper back but has a little bit more power. I heard a comp to Jared Verse, which I think is pretty good ... I understand why people are high on him, because he had 11 sacks last year with 19.5 tackles for loss, but this year on the film, it wasn't with that same consistency that you felt. He's letting guys block him and it's little up and down, but when it flashes, it's good."

7. Zion Young

• One thing: "This dude's big. He's physical and plays really hard. Comparing him to T.J. Parker, they're very similar in terms of build ... The thing that jumps out to me is that when you give him a runway, he plays with the requisite amount of physical violence. He's a little bit unhinged. He's a little bit out of control. He's not the perfect prospect in terms of polish, but god bless, man, sometimes you just gotta have that attitude."

6. Cashius Howell

• One thing: "He's just fun to watch. He's super instinctive and very natural. He kind of has this basketball-esque nature to how he plays. He's kind of got a wide base. He hops around and does a really good job of when the tackle is overextended and playing off his inside foot and swiping his hands ... He's got great bend off the edge. He kind of rushes from what I would call an unorthodox stance. His hips are square to the ball as opposed to the line of scrimmage, so he's taking this false step crossover, which works really well for him."

5. Arvell Reese

• One thing: "He basically plays a stand up outside linebacker or off-ball linebacker at Ohio State. As an on-the-ball, 3-4 linebacker, he doesn't really rush the passer. You're not seeing a two-point stance; you're not seeing him get after the quarterback. All of his sacks and most of his pressures come from internal pass-rush stunts ... The other times he gets pressures is when he's spying the quarterback, and I think that's where you see his athletic upside, being able to track down quarterbacks at an extremely high level. You see the movement skills...but it's all a projection. That's the thing for me. Is he maybe the best athlete in this class? Absolutely, but everyone always talks about projecting athletes as opposed to production."

4. Akeem Mesidor

• One thing: "The film is excellent. The first time I watched the film, I thought he was Rueben Bain. He has a wide array of pass rush moves. He's got power. He uses his hands well. He's got a cross chop. He's got a dip move. He understands the rush line. He's fantastic, man. He is NFL ready, rocked and ready to go. He is awesome. The only thing I have in terms of negative feedback is I think he's an old football player with a lot of miles on him, and just how long is he gonna be in your program?"

3. Rueben Bain

• One thing: "His body type is kinda funny ... He's like a bigger, denser build, but I kinda think tackles have a hard time with that, and especially if you rush the way he rushes. If you're a young pass rusher, the one thing I never want to see you do it run straight up the field. I want to see you attack what I would call the sack line. Attack it violently. If the tackle oversets, you go inside. If he understeps, you attack the outside corner. If he's right on the line, you run through his face. And that's why having power in the bag is so important. Rueben Bain has great leverage and great power."

2. Keldric Faulk

• One thing: "To me, he's one of the more interesting prospects in the entire draft. This is my lottery ticket. I'm betting on the upside here all the way. You see him rush the passer from a wide nine technique, the arm length is apparent. The strength is apparent. As a "four-i" technique, his ability to get to extension, shed and violently persue the football, it's there, man. He wasn't overly productive this year. I think he was getting a lot of attention ... People are aware of him. Is it as polished as Bain or as polished as Mesidor? No, but the physical tools are there."

1. David Bailey

• One thing: "I didn't want to put him as my No. 1 guy. But god bless, man, he can scoot. Watching him against Oregon, every play he was on the field, it was impactful -- batted down balls, pressure, sack. Just unblockable. We talk about timing the snap; it was perfect. His instincts as a pass-rusher -- on the line, over the line -- he's got it. The length -- the arm length and the strength -- seem like it was excellent. I couldn't quit that game, and I said, 'If there's one player who affects the game the way he does all the time, I haven't seen him yet on the defensive side of the football ... You want to make a defense better? You put pressure on the quarterback. Nobody in this draft class, as of now, gets more consistent pressure on the quarterback than David Bailey."