Bris Vegas Kind of Snappy Grades for the Commanders’ 2026 Draft – Rounds 1 to 5

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 13: Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Joshua Josephs (19) rushes Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) during the college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Georgia Bulldogs on September 13, 2025, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN. (Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

With the 2026 NFL draft in the books, it’s time for the annual tradition of giving out snap draft grades.  Instant draft grades are entirely silly, since everyone knows that it takes a few years to see how the players turn out.  But that doesn’t stop anyone from having strong opinions about how the GM done messed up. And after all, isn’t that what the internet is all about?

And when I say everyone, I don’t just mean fans. This year, it even included one of the players that Adam Peters didn’t draft.

With the usual caveat that it’s purely for entertainment purposes, this year I enlisted not one, but two experts to provide a diversity of opinions on Adam Peters’ work in the 2026 NFL draft.

Expert 1 is the BrisVegas Systems’ DraftBot, version 5.2, a self-aware, sentient organism, powered by the most advance bio-cybernetic neural network processor known to science. The DaftBot was created to solve the decades-long problem of drafting a franchise quarterback, with a meddling owner pulling strings, and has since evolved into the most sophisticated data integration and decision-making engine on the planet.

Expert 2 is my son, SamInBrisVegas, who is a recently converted Son of Washington, despite having been born and raised in sunny Brisbane, Queensland in the land down under.  Sam is a bright kid, in his first year studying business and law, but is also a Gen Z punk, who gets all his information from TikTok. After growing up as a casual Ravens fan, he found his true faith when we watched Jayden Daniels lead the Commanders in the 2024 season opener.  He is now the biggest Commanders’ fan in under 60 in the Southern Hemisphere.

Rather than one meaningless set of opinions on the Commanders’ draft picks, you get three, for the same low price. How’s that for value!

Round 1, Pick 7 – LB Alex “Sonny” Styles, Ohio State

DraftBot

My personnel department assessed LSU CB Mansoor Delane as the highest potential impact, and safest pick for the Commanders with their first-round pick.  Sonny Styles and his Ohio State teammate Caleb Downs were a close second and third.

We had anticipated the possibility of the Chiefs or Saints trading ahead of the Commanders for Delane.  I commend Adam Peters for maintaining discipline and not trading up defensively, if Delane was his top player.  The Commanders cannot afford to lose draft capital, and should be in the market to acquire more.  At the same time, I agree with the logic of not actively seeking trades down from the 7th pick, due to the risk of missing out on two prospects with transformative potential who were available.

My analysis indicates that Sonny Styles was the optimal choice for the Commanders. So I cannot fault the pick. Nevertheless, I am unable to award the highest grade for making the obvious right choice, with so few degrees of freedom at play. To his credit, Peters did avoid doing something rash, like picking a wide receiver or running back in the top 10, as three of his colleagues did. So I have to grade his decision process as being above average. It may seem unfair to withhold a higher mark, but I am afraid he is the victim of a ceiling effect in this instance.

Grade: B+

MattInBrisVegas

I don’t know what that glorified toaster is talking about. Adam Peters nailed it!

I had wanted the Commanders to draft CB Mansoor Delane, but it turns out he’s an ungracious punk. And he was off the board, so it’s a moot point.

Styles is an athletic freak, and a perfect fit to become the center piece of Daronte Jones’ position-agnostic defense.  Styles is an elite run stopper, with the ability to erase tight ends and running backs, and even stick with slot receivers.  The best part is that he’s just 21 years old, and converted from safety two years ago. So he is still growing into the position, and will continue to get better at the Pro level. He will need some further work to perfect his pass rush. But he has the tools to excel in all phases of the defense, and become an impact player early in his time with the Commanders.

We could quibble about the position value of off-ball linebackers. But I’m not sure how it applies to do-it-all players like Styles who don’t fit neatly in a box.

What I like best about the pick is that Washington has someone who can cover tight ends and running backs in the middle of the field, which has been a need since the Cretaceous Era.

Grade: A+

SamInBrisVegas

I have to be honest.  I wanted Mansoor. But the Chiefs traded ahead of us to get him. I would have been happy with Sonny or Caleb Downs. Sonny has the 9.99 RAS and is still growing, and Downs is a football genius. They both fit what Daronte wants to do.

I love the pick, but I hate that Caleb went to Dallas. The Commanders defense is going to be a lot better this year, but so will everyone else in the NFC East. Except maybe the Giants, if Arvell Reese is a bust. I did like the Dexter Lawrence trade to get Mauigoa, though.

I get what the DraftBot is saying. It was either get it right or get it wrong. So, I’m going pass/fail with my grade.

Grade: Pass

Round 3, Pick 71 – WR Antonio Williams, Clemson

DraftBot

The top-rated wide receivers on my board were Chris Brazzell, Zachariah Branch and Malachi Fields.  I must talk to my head of personnel, because Williams was not on my board, and looks like a good value at this draft potion.

Nevertheless, he would not have been my choice.  The highest rated player on my board was Oregon guard, Emmanuel Pregnon, who had slid more than a round. He would be a Day 1 starter at left guard, and upgrade the offensive line to an elite run blocking unit, and take some of the pressure off the center position, which I have concerns about upgrading in this draft class.  If not, Pregnon, the pick would have been Miami nickel back, Keionte Scott, to give Daronte Jones a versatile weapon in the secondary.

While Adam Peters passed on higher rated players, the player he picked is an NFL-ready player, with the capability of becoming a volume target in the quick passing game.  He was picked right at his consensus projection.

Grade: C

MattInBrisVegas

That bucket of bolts is so obsessed with getting the maximum value according to his board – which by the way is my board – that he’s missed the plot.

I was non-plussed when the pick was announced, but after looking into Williams, I feel like Adam Peters schooled me.

I also liked Chris Brazzell at this pick. Brazzell is the latest of a series of big Tennessee wideouts, who wowed me with his speed and ability to make catches over the top of defenders. And like all those before him, he’ll probably disappoint in the NFL.

I overlooked Willams in my search for the Best Wide Receivers in the Draft because I was too focussed on players who posted elite numbers at specific aspects of the position. Williams was not in the top 20 among FBS WRs (n = 223, min 100 routes) in any of the main receiving metrics I examined, but he was at or above the 70th percentile in Y/RR, Catch Rate Over Expectation, TD Rate, and YAC/Rec.  He was very good across the board, without standing out in any particular metric.

Williams was among the top WRs in two other aspects of the position: run blocking (68.5 Run Blocking Grade, 96th percentile), rushing yards (78 yds, 98th percentile).

Williams’ athletic testing numbers are like his productivity stats. He tested in the good to very good range in speed (4.41 sec 40), agility (4.1 sec shuttle), and explosiveness (39.5” vertical) drills, resulting in a very good, but not elite 8.58 RAS.

Where he stood out to the Commanders is NFL-ready route running to gain separation. He looks ready to be a Day 1 contributor, to provide another receiving option to move the chain on short and intermediate routes.

Separation metrics are a vexed topic. But getting open to draw targets is a major component of the most important receiving productivity metric, Y/RR. Not coincidentally, that was where Williams ranked the highest (2.27 Y/RR, 82nd percentile in FBS).

If AP found a Day 1 starting WR in the third round, this pick will look very good by the end of the season.

Grade: A

SamInBrisVegas

There were better guys available, like Pregnon, Zacchariah Branch, and CB Taccario Davis. But Williams is good.

Grade: B+

Round 5, Pick 147 – ED Joshua Josephs, Tennessee

DraftBot

This was a good pick. Josephs was the top player on my board, with a mid-third round grade.  The only players even close to him were S Zakee Wheatley and NT Demonte Capehart, who were picked soon after. Josephs is an explosive athlete with immediate value as a situational pass rusher, and upside to develop as a starter. He is exceptional value in the fifth round.

Peters is commended for resisting temptation to reach for a player at a position of need, such as cornerback or center. That must be hard for a human.  The available players on my board, including C Jager Burton and CB Hezekiah Masses, would be less likely to contribute this year.

Grade: A+

MattInBrisVegas

Finally, my cybernetically enhanced friend is starting to make sense.

This pick has AP written all over it.  Josephs has the long arms and elite explosion that our GM covets in a pass rusher.  The film clips show him using his massive wingspan to get off of blockers, harass the pocket, and corral rushers.  Josephs needs to refine his technique to get more sacks, but he was already near the top of the FBS in Pressure Rate (17.3%, 95th Percentile). He could stand to add muscle to get stronger at the point of attack, but is already an effective run defender, as judged by his Run Stop Rate (8.2%, 82nd percentile in ED draft class).

It is rare to find edge rushers with the desired frame and athleticism this late in the draft.  AP drafted a player with starting potential, rather than chasing needs and ending up with a back up.

Grade: A+

SamInBrisVegas

I believe Josephs can be an above average starter.  For a fifth round pick, that’s excellent.

Grade: A

Rounds 6 and 7 coming soon…