Did Commanders GM Adam Peters rule out a first-round trade?

Has Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters already determined who he wants at No. 7, next Thursday night?

Peters spoke with the media on Thursday regarding the 2026 NFL Draft and trade philosophy. When Peters was asked about trading back, he replied, "I think with any trade, whether it is at 7 or anywhere, it's who's available? How far back are you going? What are you getting for it? Who do you think will be available wherever you are trading back to?"

Peters reminded the press, "it is always easier to predict the top of the draft than it is the lower you go in the draft. You don't really know who is going to be available. There is a lot more variance at that point."

A nugget was provided, however, by Peters regarding the Commanders' 2025 draft. Some may recall that when selecting Oregon OT Josh Conerly, Peters told the media during the draft that they had determined that, if he was still there, they would take him. Thursday Peters referencing back said, "We got a lot of offers (trade) when we picked Josh. There were a lot of offers, but we said before the draft that if Josh is there, we're going to pick him."

Perhaps the Commanders valued an offensive lineman of his quality and didn't want to miss an opportunity to secure an athletic offensive tackle for many years to come.

Consequently, seeing the Commanders made such a decision in last year's draft, it could likely be the case that they have a name or two for this year's draft, that if still available at No. 7, they are not trading down. Would it be LB Sonny Styles that is a non-negotiable? Perhaps Jeremiyah Love? But he is a running back, are teams really going to trade up to get a running back?

So, does Peters anticipate trading the No. 7 pick next week?

"I would say, more likely than not, that would happen," Peters responded when asked if he anticipated picking at No. 7. "But you never know. You never know, and it'll depend on who's on the board, if a team wants to move up, and then we have to decide if we want to do that. But I would say, more likely than not, we'd stay and pick."

Well, Adam Peters gave us something to think about...

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: