Commanders select Ohio State WR in final Bucky Brooks mock draft

The 2026 NFL Draft is one day away. Over the last few weeks, the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has transformed to accommodate the descent of the NFL on its grounds, and tomorrow, it will be bursting at its seams with the thousands upon thousands of fans who will pour in from all corners of the country to attend the event.

The Washington Commanders have been linked to several players at No. 7 heading into this draft, with analysts varying on which player they will take. The Commanders have limited draft capital this year, and several needs to fill, and NFL.com's Bucky Brooks is of the mindset that they'll select Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate.

After debating the pros and cons of taking a shutdown cornerback who theoretically offers better positional value, Dan Quinn and Adam Peters instead opt for the best player available. Downs' instincts, awareness, versatility and communication skills will upgrade a defense that needs to get back on track with a strong performance in 2026.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Tate gives the Commanders exactly what they're looking for in a receiver. They need someone to take pressure off of Terry McLaurin, and while the other receivers on the roster are solid rotational pieces, none of them has the star-power to distract defenses. Tate is a dynamic receiver with big-game experience and has proven he's a threat down the field.

If Tate lines up opposite McLaurin as WR2, opposing defenses will have to question which side of the field they should defend. During his final year at Ohio State, Tate recorded his best season, catching 51 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns. He did this while sharing the field with Jeremiah Smith, who recorded over 1,200 yards receiving, proving that Tate is truly a team player.

There have been other names tossed around that the Commanders might draft, but if Adam Peters doesn't draft Tate, who is he going to get to take the pressure off of McLaurin?