The Top Cat'S MOCK DRAFT
  1. Home
  2. Simulator

The Top Cat'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON JAN 4, 2026

The Flood

  • The Top Cat DRAFTING FOR THE
    Commanders
Draft Selections
Keldric Faulk Head Shot
PICK: 9 RND: 1 (WSH)
Keldric Faulk
DE-EDGE Auburn
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 42 RND: 2 (WSH)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
A'Mauri Washington Head Shot
PICK: 71 RND: 3 (WSH)
A'Mauri Washington
DT Oregon
Zakee Wheatley Head Shot
PICK: 74 RND: 3 (WSH)
Zakee Wheatley
S Penn State
D'Angelo Ponds Head Shot
PICK: 79 RND: 3 (WSH)
D'Angelo Ponds
CB Indiana
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren Head Shot
PICK: 88 RND: 3 (WSH)
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
S Toledo
Zachariah Branch Head Shot
PICK: 97 RND: 3 (WSH)
Zachariah Branch
WR Georgia
Justice Haynes Head Shot
PICK: 109 RND: 4 (WSH)
Justice Haynes
RB Michigan
Blake Miller Head Shot
PICK: 123 RND: 4 (WSH)
Blake Miller
OT Clemson
Logan Jones Head Shot
PICK: 124 RND: 4 (WSH)
Logan Jones
C Iowa
Kage Casey Head Shot
PICK: 146 RND: 5 (WSH)
Kage Casey
OT Boise State
Drew Allar Head Shot
PICK: 161 RND: 5 (WSH)
Drew Allar
QB Penn State
Duce Robinson Head Shot
PICK: 169 RND: 5 (WSH)
Duce Robinson
WR Florida State
Lee Hunter Head Shot
PICK: 187 RND: 6 (WSH)
Lee Hunter
DT Texas Tech
Princewill Umanmielen Head Shot
PICK: 197 RND: 6 (WSH)
Princewill Umanmielen
LB-EDGE Ole Miss
Jalen Thompson Head Shot
PICK: 223 RND: 7 (WSH)
Jalen Thompson
DL-EDGE Michigan State
Draft Picks Received
Keldric Faulk Head Shot
PICK: 9 RND: 1 (KC)
Keldric Faulk
DE-EDGE Auburn
Sonny Styles Head Shot
PICK: 42 RND: 2 (NO)
Sonny Styles
LB Ohio State
Zakee Wheatley Head Shot
PICK: 74 RND: 3 (KC)
Zakee Wheatley
S Penn State
D'Angelo Ponds Head Shot
PICK: 79 RND: 3 (MIN)
D'Angelo Ponds
CB Indiana
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren Head Shot
PICK: 88 RND: 3 (BUF)
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
S Toledo
Zachariah Branch Head Shot
PICK: 97 RND: 3 (MIN)
Zachariah Branch
WR Georgia
Justice Haynes Head Shot
PICK: 109 RND: 4 (KC)
Justice Haynes
RB Michigan
Blake Miller Head Shot
PICK: 123 RND: 4 (BUF)
Blake Miller
OT Clemson
Logan Jones Head Shot
PICK: 124 RND: 4 (CHI)
Logan Jones
C Iowa
Drew Allar Head Shot
PICK: 161 RND: 5 (BUF)
Drew Allar
QB Penn State
Duce Robinson Head Shot
PICK: 169 RND: 5 (NE)
Duce Robinson
WR Florida State
Draft Picks Traded
David Bailey Head Shot
PICK: 7 RND: 1 (KC)
David Bailey
LB-EDGE Texas Tech
Players traded away
Head Shot
Andrew Wylie
OG
Head Shot
Bobby Wagner
LB
Head Shot
Daron Payne
DT
Head Shot
Jartavius Martin
S
Head Shot
Javon Kinlaw
DT
Head Shot
Jeremy McNichols
RB
Head Shot
Marshon Lattimore
CB
Head Shot
Nick Allegretti
OG
Head Shot
Noah Brown
WR
Head Shot
Von Miller
LB
Head Shot
Zach Ertz
TE
Draft Grade — Commanders
Overall D-
ValueB- NeedB TradesF FutureB-
The Commanders bled value on every deal, hence the D-.

The Commanders clearly saw something nobody else did in Jalen Thompson, taking him 56 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced. Put together, it is a D-.

The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. The tight end hole is the one line item this class does not answer. The McNeil-Warren pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with tight end still on the board.

On value alone, Allar makes the weekend a net positive.

It is a steep hill from here, and the grade knows it.

Pick Analysis
Pick9 Rnd1 Keldric Faulk
In No. 9 they get a bendy edge with upside. A clean fit for the roster.
Pick42 Rnd2 Sonny Styles
A tidy little value on Sonny Styles in Round 2, Pick 10, a step better than break-even. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Pick71 Rnd3 A'Mauri Washington
A'Mauri Washington slipping to the 71st overall pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick74 Rnd3 Zakee Wheatley
Zakee Wheatley in slot 74 lands just on the right side of the ledger. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Pick79 Rnd3 D'Angelo Ponds
They reached a country mile for D'Angelo Ponds at pick No. 79, and the board is aghast. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick88 Rnd3 Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
They bypassed pressing needs at tight end to take Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, a safety that was not the priority.
Pick97 Rnd3 Zachariah Branch
They paid up for Zachariah Branch at Round 3, Pick 33 when waiting would have done the job. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick109 Rnd4 Justice Haynes
Justice Haynes at slot 109 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick123 Rnd4 Blake Miller
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Blake Miller. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick124 Rnd4 Logan Jones
Logan Jones at the Round 4 slot is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick146 Rnd5 Kage Casey
Kage Casey at pick 146 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick161 Rnd5 Drew Allar
They read the board right and Drew Allar was the payoff at pick No. 161. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Pick169 Rnd5 Duce Robinson
Duce Robinson in the 169th pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick187 Rnd6 Lee Hunter
They jumped the gun on Lee Hunter, taking him earlier than his grade liked. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Pick197 Rnd6 Princewill Umanmielen
Princewill Umanmielen at No. 197 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick223 Rnd7 Jalen Thompson
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jalen Thompson in the 223rd overall pick, miles early. It patches a soft spot without any drama.