Not having second- or fourth-round picks did not stop Washington Commanders GM Adam Peters from having a good draft.
That’s the word from Trevor Sikkema and Connor Rogers of the “NFL Stock Exchange.” Commanders Wire takes a quick look at how they evaluated the Commanders’ bottom three selections in last week’s draft.
“Kaytron Allen (No. 187) he could be a 1B in the backfield for this team,” expressed Rogers. “Runs through contact, more of what the Commanders need.
Just watch Kaytron Allen’s footwork at 220.
He’ll challenge for snaps this fall. pic.twitter.com/bmFfFd8j9e
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) April 25, 2026
“Matt Gulbin (209) is legitimate center depth,” stated Rogers. Sikkema added that he thought Matt Gulbin is a really good backup center for them, as well.”
“Athan Kaliakmanis’ pick (223) was a little out there. And we liked him at one point in the fall. He just didn’t finish the season (as) you had hoped he would,” declared Rogers.
Rogers concluded, I gave this draft a B+, and that’s factoring in that they were working undermanned. They didn’t have a lot of picks. I mean, if they had a second-round pick and took an average player, this would have been in the A’s. The Commanders did a great job the entire offseason.”
Sikkema even raised the level a bit. “I thought with even what they had, this is an A draft for me. I think Kaytron Allen, Bill Croskey-Merritt, and Rashad White are a really nice running back trio that can do a lot of different things for you.
Concluding, Sikkema voiced, “I love this draft. I think they did an excellent job capitalizing on talent, as it was falling to them, knowing they didn’t have a lot of ammunition to work with. But when they did pull the tigger, I thought it as very meaninful on players that could be a big-time difference makers for them.”
Sikkema gave the Commanders an overall A grade, while Rogers came giving the Commanders a B+ final grade.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Draft analyst likes the offensive backfield