Draft season is upon us, and the Washington Commanders have a chance to grab one of the best playmakers in this year's class.

The Commanders' 2025 season did not go as planned following their NFC Championship performance in 2024. A mixture of injuries and overall performance resulted in them finishing with a 5-12 record, including an eight-game losing streak from Weeks 6-14. Head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters promised that changes would be coming, and so far, they have restructured their coaching staff with David Blough and Daronte Jones in as the new offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively. Their next task is to retool the roster, with changes likely coming on both sides of the ball.

The Commanders' first-round pick, which is the No. 7 overall selection this year, will play a critical role in that. There are several positions they could address with the pick, from pass rusher to receiver, but regardless of who they take, there's a good chance that player will be an immediate contributor.

Over the next few months, Commanders.com will highlight one mock draft from a draft expert each week to delve into how that player would fit with Washington. After evaluating David Bailey, we're heading back to Ohio State to look at one of the best playmakers in the class.

Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

Much of the fans' attention has been centered around the Commanders' defensive needs this offseason, and that is a reasonable concern considering how much the unit struggled in 2025. They could use help at just about every level of the defense, and they would receive little, if any criticism if they were to take one of the top edge defenders, cornerbacks or even safety prospects.

However, the offense still has Jayden Daniels under center, despite his various injuries last season, and there is a priority to make sure he is surrounded with quality weapons. So, why not provide him with one of the best playmakers in the draft and the tools to orchestrate an elite group?

That's what CBS Sports' Mike Renner thinks the Commanders should do. He connected them with Ohio State wideout Carnell Tate, and while there are other needs on the roster, there's no denying that Tate would elevate the offense's firepower.

"The Commanders need an injection of youth into their aging receiving corps," Renner wrote. "We saw how much their downfield passing attack suffered when Terry McLaurin was out of the lineup last season. Tate is the best big-play threat in the class with the kind of ball skills that pair perfectly with Jayden Daniels' elite deep ball."

That first statement actually requires some clarification; the Commanders currently have a thin receiving corps rather than an aging one. Sure, Terry McLaurin is on the other side of 30, but he represents one of just three receivers guaranteed to return in 2026 (Jaylin Lane and Christian McCaffrey, both of whom were drafted in the last two seasons, are the other two). Noah Brown, Treylon Burks, Chris Moore and Deebo Samuel are all set to be free agents with no promises of being re-signed at this point.

Regardless of the reasoning, it's true the Commanders could use another young receiver, and Tate is considered one of, if not, the best prospect at the position this year. ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. ranked him as the fifth overall player on his big board after he led the Buckeyes with 838 yards and nine touchdowns. The Chicago native is 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, which would give the Commanders a bigger target they have been longing for years.

One of the painfully obvious issues that the Commanders had last year was the lack of explosive playmakers on offense, particularly when Terry McLaurin, who missed half the season, was not on the field. Tate would help alleviate some of that pain point; he posted a 99.9 grade on passes of at least 20 yards, posting a 76.9% catch rate and six touchdowns. He also caught six of seven contested targets on such throws with zero drops.

According to Kiper, Tate "put up some serious numbers and showed why he is a top prospect for this class."

"Tate produced big plays on a regular basis, averaging 17.2 yards per catch last season. He is a precise route runner, has great hands and displays outstanding body control. And he'll also happily block for ball carriers, which NFL coaches love to see."

Renner isn't the only one who sees the benefits of a possible connection between Tate and the Commanders. ESPN's Field Yates also pointed to the issues the Commanders had at wide receiver last year, from McLaurin's injury to settling for practice squad players. Yates believes that not only would Tate help the Commanders get younger at the position, but it would also give them one of the most pro-ready players in this year's draft.

"This guy is just a professional route runner," Yates said. "Excellent body control; great on some of those sideline routes and sideline catches. He's a vertical threat with over 17 yards per catch this past season. He is ready to rock."

Tate does have some issues that need to be addressed at the NFL level. Commanders analyst Logan Paulsen notes that Tate, who is currently his No. 3 receiver, needs to improve his play strength, and there are some moments on film where that stands out. He can struggle at times to get out of press coverage, and while he might be a willing run blocker, it's still an area that will likely need to improve.

However, Paulsen notes that many of his concerns about Tate are minor and still believes that Tate is "fantastic" when it comes to making contested catches in the red zone and tracking the football. And most other analysts agree that Tate has a bright future in the NFL.

"He combines timing, body control and catch radius to dominate air space and consistently lands on the winning side of contested catches," wrote NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. "Pass catching comes effortlessly with soft, strong hands, and he consistently works back on throws to keep ballhawks from hawking. Tate displays rare polish for a player his age and has the talent to become a heralded pro within his first three seasons."