Future on the Clock: Commanders' struggles creates early pivot to 2026 mock draft

Washington's 2025 season has seven games remaining, but at 3-7 with a porous defense and numerous injuries, looking ahead to the draft came earlier than expected.

“So, you are turning to mock drafts already?”

The friendly voice at the other end of the line — an NFL college scouting director — knew precisely what he was doing. I’d reached out a few days earlier because I needed a hit of draft insight. Washington was in a tailspin, and in my deeply professional beat-reporter opinion, the Commanders were about to get smashed by the Lions for a fifth straight loss.

As last season’s NFC runner-ups began showing signs that 2025 wouldn’t be another magical ride, questions from Substack subscribers, podcast listeners and social media followers started rolling in. When is the mock draft coming? It all felt very familiar. For years, future talk was the only relevant conversation for a franchise perpetually searching for long-term stability.

This new era was supposed to be different. Washington had landed its franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels, reached the doorstep of the Super Bowl, and pushed mock-draft season deep into January. I was ready to make that my new normal.

But reality has a mean streak. Daniels' three injuries, the avalanche of other player losses, and defensive performances so indefensible that head coach Dan Quinn assumed play-calling duties this week forced future talk back into the timeline far earlier than imagined at the season's start.

GM Adam Peters, Jayden Daniels, owner Josh Harris and coach Dan Quinn at the quarterback’s local introduction following the 2024 NFL Draft (via Ben Standig)

“I haven’t done a mock draft either,” the scout said. He wasn’t being sympathetic. NFL teams are months away from such an exercise. Still, he got into the spirit good-naturedly. Mock drafts and projections are what front offices eventually do.

With 3–7 Washington sitting seventh in the order, I asked the highly respected longtime scout to walk through the top 15 picks — not a full first round, just a feel for the class. As always, quarterbacks dominated the conversation even though Washington does not need one. The more QBs taken early, the better for the Commanders. Bummer that this year’s passer group has been a mess.

With that, the Commanders put my mock-draft brain on the clock. The order through Week 10 is based on NFL.com’s list.