With the Washington Commanders eliminated from playoff contention after a season to forget, it's time to start looking ahead to the 2026 NFL Draft.
If the season ended today, Washington currently holds the No. 8 overall pick in the first round. The Commanders hold one luxury in that they won't be thinking about taking a quarterback with their selection, so draft position isn't quite as crucial for them.
Washington has no shortage of needs, but the top priority must be adding offensive weapons for Jayden Daniels. One dynamic playmaker could be precisely what they're looking for.
Commanders were linked to Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, and it makes perfect sense
Tarringo Basile-Vaughan of FanSided's draft-focused NFL Mocks wrote an article discussing three potential landing spots for Jeremiyah Love. They were the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, and the Commanders.
Love is a versatile weapon that can dominate on the ground while racking up additional yardage as a pass-catcher. This season, he finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting and won the Doak Walker Award, presented to the nation's top running back, after accumulating 1,652 total yards of offense.
The Notre Dame prospect would be a perfect fit in a Commanders offense that desperately needs to take some pressure off Daniels. This season, Washington's star signal-caller had to do too much and couldn't stay on the field. His receiving corps wasn't at full strength for most of the year, but Kliff Kingsbury's offense also lacks a dominant playmaker out of the backfield.
It's never an excellent long-term investment to draft a running back in the first round, but the Commanders need their future to be now. They have a three-year window to maximize while Daniels is on his rookie deal, and they need to build for it in such a way that doesn't involve half the roster being on the wrong side of 30.
The Commanders haven't had a true star at the running back position for a while, perhaps since two-time Pro Bowler and 2012 second-team All-Pro Alfred Morris. Currently, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Chris Rodriguez Jr., and Jeremy McNichols all add value to the backfield in their own ways, but none of them change the game.
Love is the type of backfield threat who will change the game for whoever drafts him. He could be the Commanders' version of what Jahmyr Gibbs is to the Detroit Lions, or Bijan Robinson is to the Atlanta Falcons.
If he's available when Washington selects, Love will be hard to turn down.