The No. 7 pick in the draft is one of the few positives that came out of last season for Washington

“The circumstances to get this pick, you never want to be in,” general manager Adam Peters said Thursday. “But it's a great opportunity for us.”

At this time last year, the Commanders were still basking in the glow of their first trip to the NFC title game in 33 years. They looked set at quarterback after Jayden Daniels' outstanding rookie season, and they'd added Deebo Samuel, giving him another target to throw to.

Then Washington went 5-12, and the skeptics about the direction of this franchise are back. The top concern is Daniels' ability to stay healthy, and there's not much the Commanders can do via the draft to help his durability — aside from maybe improving the pass protection.

Outside of that magical 2024 season, the Commanders haven't been relevant in a while — but despite all that losing, they've only picked in the top seven twice in the last 10 drafts. Washington took pass rusher Chase Young at No. 2 in 2020 and Daniels at No. 2 in 2024.

The 2026 season will say a lot about whether Washington's future is as promising as it once seemed, and a pick this high in the first round can give the Commanders an impact player right away.

"It is a big pick, but I think all of our picks are big," Peters said. “In every single round you can hit a home run. This one, I think the chances are a little bit greater, so you really want to make sure you don’t make a mistake — you don’t blow it, I guess.”

Need

The defense across the board could use improving. Washington allowed 384 yards per game, the worst mark in the NFL, and forced the second-fewest turnovers in the league.

What would also help the Commanders is more picks. They only have six, having traded their second- and fourth-rounders to Houston in last year's deal for tackle Laremy Tunsil. Keep an eye on Washington as a team that might trade down to increase its quantity of picks.

Don't need

Aside from quarterback, the Commanders should be looking to improve just about everywhere. Washington landed running back Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt in the seventh round last year, and he had a solid rookie season, so the Commanders might not need as much help there either.

New staff

Washington coach Dan Quinn returns, but last season's decline led to some shuffling on his staff. David Blough was promoted to offensive coordinator, and Daronte Jones was brought in to be the defensive coordinator. They replaced Kliff Kingsbury and Joe Whitt Jr.

“New coaches, new schemes, so we've adjusted the draft board accordingly because of that, just positionally-wise," Peters said. "But they're not big changes, they're just minor changes.”

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