The Top Cat'S MOCK DRAFT
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The Top Cat'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON JAN 21, 2026

The land of plenty!

  • The Top Cat DRAFTING FOR THE
    Commanders
Draft Selections
Jeremiyah Love Head Shot
PICK: 11 RND: 1 (WSH)
Jeremiyah Love
RB Notre Dame
Dillon Thieneman Head Shot
PICK: 57 RND: 2 (WSH)
Dillon Thieneman
S Oregon
Connor Lew Head Shot
PICK: 71 RND: 3 (WSH)
Connor Lew
C Auburn
Zakee Wheatley Head Shot
PICK: 83 RND: 3 (WSH)
Zakee Wheatley
S Penn State
Jake Golday Head Shot
PICK: 86 RND: 3 (WSH)
Jake Golday
OLB Cincinnati
Caden Curry Head Shot
PICK: 90 RND: 3 (WSH)
Caden Curry
DE Ohio State
D'Angelo Ponds Head Shot
PICK: 101 RND: 4 (WSH)
D'Angelo Ponds
CB Indiana
Davison Igbinosun Head Shot
PICK: 145 RND: 5 (WSH)
Davison Igbinosun
CB Ohio State
Drew Allar Head Shot
PICK: 156 RND: 5 (WSH)
Drew Allar
QB Penn State
Brenen Thompson Head Shot
PICK: 163 RND: 5 (WSH)
Brenen Thompson
WR Mississippi State
Eric O'Neill Head Shot
PICK: 185 RND: 6 (WSH)
Eric O'Neill
DE-EDGE Rutgers
Josh Cuevas Head Shot
PICK: 196 RND: 6 (WSH)
Josh Cuevas
TE Alabama
Jack Velling Head Shot
PICK: 197 RND: 6 (WSH)
Jack Velling
TE Michigan State
Jordan Hall Head Shot
PICK: 198 RND: 6 (WSH)
Jordan Hall
DL Georgia
Trey Zuhn III Head Shot
PICK: 202 RND: 6 (WSH)
Trey Zuhn III
OT Texas A&M
Riley Mahlman Head Shot
PICK: 223 RND: 7 (WSH)
Riley Mahlman
OT Wisconsin
Roderick Kearney Head Shot
PICK: 226 RND: 7 (WSH)
Roderick Kearney
OG Florida
Zach Rice Head Shot
PICK: 227 RND: 7 (WSH)
Zach Rice
C Syracuse
Joey Aguilar Head Shot
PICK: 235 RND: 7 (WSH)
Joey Aguilar
QB Tennessee
Tony Grimes Head Shot
PICK: 239 RND: 7 (WSH)
Tony Grimes
CB Purdue
Draft Picks Received
Jeremiyah Love Head Shot
PICK: 11 RND: 1 (MIA)
Jeremiyah Love
RB Notre Dame
Dillon Thieneman Head Shot
PICK: 57 RND: 2 (CHI)
Dillon Thieneman
S Oregon
Zakee Wheatley Head Shot
PICK: 83 RND: 3 (CAR)
Zakee Wheatley
S Penn State
Jake Golday Head Shot
PICK: 86 RND: 3 (LAC)
Jake Golday
OLB Cincinnati
Caden Curry Head Shot
PICK: 90 RND: 3 (MIA)
Caden Curry
DE Ohio State
D'Angelo Ponds Head Shot
PICK: 101 RND: 4 (TEN)
D'Angelo Ponds
CB Indiana
Drew Allar Head Shot
PICK: 156 RND: 5 (CAR)
Drew Allar
QB Penn State
Brenen Thompson Head Shot
PICK: 163 RND: 5 (CHI)
Brenen Thompson
WR Mississippi State
Jack Velling Head Shot
PICK: 197 RND: 6 (CIN)
Jack Velling
TE Michigan State
Jordan Hall Head Shot
PICK: 198 RND: 6 (CAR)
Jordan Hall
DL Georgia
Trey Zuhn III Head Shot
PICK: 202 RND: 6 (LAC)
Trey Zuhn III
OT Texas A&M
Roderick Kearney Head Shot
PICK: 226 RND: 7 (CIN)
Roderick Kearney
OG Florida
Zach Rice Head Shot
PICK: 227 RND: 7 (MIA)
Zach Rice
C Syracuse
Joey Aguilar Head Shot
PICK: 235 RND: 7 (CAR)
Joey Aguilar
QB Tennessee
Tony Grimes Head Shot
PICK: 239 RND: 7 (CHI)
Tony Grimes
CB Purdue
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (CHI)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (LAC)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 5 (LAC)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 6 (CHI)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Keldric Faulk Head Shot
PICK: 7 RND: 1 (CIN)
Keldric Faulk
DE-EDGE Auburn
Players traded away
Head Shot
Andrew Wylie
OG
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 bled value on every deal, hence the D-.

The Commanders looked at the value chart, folded it up, and took Zach Rice at the 227th pick regardless, 49 picks early.

The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. Getting Allar where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. The roster is better shaped than it was, with wide receiver chief among the fixes.

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

Pick Analysis
Pick11 Rnd1 Jeremiyah Love
In Round 1, Pick 11 they get a centerpiece for the ground game, outstanding value to boot. A real need, handled.
Pick57 Rnd2 Dillon Thieneman
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Dillon Thieneman at the Round 2 slot. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Pick71 Rnd3 Connor Lew
Connor Lew at pick No. 71 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick83 Rnd3 Zakee Wheatley
They read the board right and Zakee Wheatley was the payoff at slot 83. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Pick86 Rnd3 Jake Golday
A tidy little value on Jake Golday in No. 86, a step better than break-even. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Pick90 Rnd3 Caden Curry
They paid up for Caden Curry at the 90th pick when waiting would have done the job. The roster fit checks out.
Pick101 Rnd4 D'Angelo Ponds
D'Angelo Ponds at the 101st overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick145 Rnd5 Davison Igbinosun
By-the-book stuff, Davison Igbinosun at Round 5, Pick 7 squarely in line with his ranking. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick156 Rnd5 Drew Allar
Drew Allar at the 156th pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick163 Rnd5 Brenen Thompson
A reasonable price with a little left over, Brenen Thompson in pick No. 163. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick185 Rnd6 Eric O'Neill
They reached a country mile for Eric O'Neill at the Round 6 slot, and the board is aghast. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Pick196 Rnd6 Josh Cuevas
They paid sticker price for Josh Cuevas in slot 196, and that is fine. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick197 Rnd6 Jack Velling
Jack Velling in No. 197 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick198 Rnd6 Jordan Hall
Jordan Hall at pick 198 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick202 Rnd6 Trey Zuhn III
Nothing to complain about; Trey Zuhn III went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick223 Rnd7 Riley Mahlman
Riley Mahlman in slot 223 is fair value, right on his grade. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick226 Rnd7 Roderick Kearney
Roderick Kearney at pick No. 226 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick227 Rnd7 Zach Rice
Zach Rice at Round 7, Pick 11 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick235 Rnd7 Joey Aguilar
They barely believed it either: Joey Aguilar still on the board at the Round 7 slot. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick239 Rnd7 Tony Grimes
Tony Grimes in No. 239 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.