ASHBURN, VA — The Washington Commanders own the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but the real work happens after the bright lights of the first round fade in Pittsburgh. General Manager Adam Peters spent the spring patching holes with veterans like Rachaad White and Leo Chenal, yet the roster still feels thin. With a massive 64-pick gap between their first and second selections, Washington must find gold in the middle rounds to support quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Washington’s wide receiver room is top-heavy and aging. Terry McLaurin remains the heart of this team, but he turns 31 this season. Behind him, Luke McCaffrey is still finding his footing, and Treylon Burks has struggled to live up to his first-round pedigree. If the Commanders don’t grab a blue-chip wideout at No. 7, Elijah Sarratt is the name to circle at pick No. 71.
The Indiana product isn’t a burner, but he is always open. Scouts have dubbed him “Waffle House” for his 24/7 reliability in tight windows. Standing 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, Sarratt finished the 2025 season with 11 touchdowns and a knack for winning contested balls that mirrors Puka Nacua’s rise. He lacks elite twitch, but his route-running is surgical. He wins with body positioning and vacuum-like hands, exactly the kind of “safety valve” Daniels needs when the pocket collapses.
If Sarratt is the possession specialist, Ole Miss receiver De’Zhaun Stribling is the home-run threat. Washington lacks a true vertical stretcher who can keep safeties honest. Stribling quieted critics at the Combine by blazing a 4.36-second 40-yard dash. That speed, paired with a 6-foot-2 frame, makes him a nightmare on post routes.
Stribling put up 612 yards and 6 scores for the Rebels in 2025. While he needs to sharpen his footwork on underneath routes, his physicality as a blocker will endear him to Dan Quinn. He isn’t just a track star; he hunts cornerbacks in the run game. Washington doesn’t have a fourth-round pick, so if they want Stribling’s 4.36 speed, they’ll likely have to pull the trigger in the third round or hope for a slide into the fifth.
Every draft has a “Quinn Player”—a high-motor, versatile defender who hits like a truck. Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke fits that mold perfectly. A former lacrosse player at Ohio State, Heinecke brings a unique lateral agility to the second level of the defense. He isn’t the biggest linebacker at 227 pounds, but he plays with a relentless “small dog” ferocity.
In 2025, Heinecke racked up 74 tackles and 12 tackles for loss. He is a special teams ace waiting to happen, but his 4.62 speed and coverage instincts give him “nickel linebacker” potential. For a Commanders defense that struggled to stop the run last year, Heinecke’s appetite for contact makes him a premier target for their first sixth-round selection.
“I don’t care about the measurables as much as the motor. Give me the guy who wants to fight the biggest guy on the field every single snap. That’s how we’re building this.”
— Dan Quinn, Commanders Head Coach
The Commanders are in a precarious spot. By trading away their 2026 second-rounder to land Laremy Tunsil, they’ve limited their margin for error. They cannot miss on these middle-round picks. If they land a technician like Sarratt or a flyer like Stribling, it provides Jayden Daniels with the cheap, high-upside rookie contracts necessary to balance a top-heavy salary cap. Expect plenty of phone calls from the Ashburn war room as they look to maneuver back into the fourth round on draft day.
