The Top Cat'S MOCK DRAFT
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The Top Cat'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON JAN 20, 2026

Perserverance

  • The Top Cat DRAFTING FOR THE
    Commanders
Draft Selections
Jeremiyah Love Head Shot
PICK: 11 RND: 1 (WSH)
Jeremiyah Love
RB Notre Dame
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 43 RND: 2 (WSH)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
Connor Lew Head Shot
PICK: 71 RND: 3 (WSH)
Connor Lew
C Auburn
Josiah Trotter Head Shot
PICK: 76 RND: 3 (WSH)
Josiah Trotter
LB Missouri
Zakee Wheatley Head Shot
PICK: 85 RND: 3 (WSH)
Zakee Wheatley
S Penn State
DeMonte Capehart Head Shot
PICK: 145 RND: 5 (WSH)
DeMonte Capehart
DT Clemson
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 149 RND: 5 (WSH)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Thaddeus Dixon Head Shot
PICK: 185 RND: 6 (WSH)
Thaddeus Dixon
CB North Carolina
Josh Cuevas Head Shot
PICK: 196 RND: 6 (WSH)
Josh Cuevas
TE Alabama
Lawson Luckie Head Shot
PICK: 223 RND: 7 (WSH)
Lawson Luckie
TE Georgia
Jack Velling Head Shot
PICK: 227 RND: 7 (WSH)
Jack Velling
TE Michigan State
Draft Picks Received
Jeremiyah Love Head Shot
PICK: 11 RND: 1 (MIA)
Jeremiyah Love
RB Notre Dame
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 43 RND: 2 (MIA)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
Josiah Trotter Head Shot
PICK: 76 RND: 3 (PIT)
Josiah Trotter
LB Missouri
Zakee Wheatley Head Shot
PICK: 85 RND: 3 (PIT)
Zakee Wheatley
S Penn State
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 149 RND: 5 (MIA)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Jack Velling Head Shot
PICK: 227 RND: 7 (MIA)
Jack Velling
TE Michigan State
Draft Picks Traded
Caleb Downs Head Shot
PICK: 7 RND: 1 (MIA)
Caleb Downs
S Ohio State
Players traded away
Head Shot
Ben Sinnott
TE
Head Shot
Daron Payne
DT
Head Shot
Jartavius Martin
S
Head Shot
Javon Kinlaw
DT
Head Shot
Nick Allegretti
OG
Head Shot
Percy Butler
S
Head Shot
Tyler Biadasz
C
Draft Grade — Commanders
Overall D-
ValueB NeedB TradesF FutureB-
The Commanders lost the trade table, and the D- tells the story.

Some picks age like wine; Patrick Payton at pick 149 will need to, sitting 50 spots clear of his grade. A D- that will need time and luck to look better.

They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. Leaving wide receiver unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. The Trotter pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at wide receiver and quarterback.

The Wheatley pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged.

Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even.

Pick Analysis
Pick11 Rnd1 Jeremiyah Love
In pick No. 11 they get a featured back, and a steal at that. A real need, handled.
Pick43 Rnd2 Sonny Styles
Fair-plus on Sonny Styles, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A minor itch, scratched.
Pick71 Rnd3 Connor Lew
A reasonable price with a little left over, Connor Lew in the Round 3 slot. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick76 Rnd3 Josiah Trotter
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Josiah Trotter adds a linebacker and leaves wide receiver and quarterback untouched.
Pick85 Rnd3 Zakee Wheatley
Zakee Wheatley slid further than he should have, and Round 3, Pick 21 is lovely value for the safety. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Pick145 Rnd5 DeMonte Capehart
A slide stopped in No. 145, with DeMonte Capehart worth more than the price. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick149 Rnd5 Patrick Payton
They talked themselves into Patrick Payton at pick No. 149, and the board did not agree. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick185 Rnd6 Thaddeus Dixon
Thaddeus Dixon at No. 185 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick196 Rnd6 Josh Cuevas
Josh Cuevas at the 196th pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick223 Rnd7 Lawson Luckie
Lawson Luckie at pick 223 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the tight end. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick227 Rnd7 Jack Velling
A straight-up fair deal on Jack Velling at slot 227, value and slot in agreement. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.