The Washington Commanders found themselves with a surprisingly high pick in the 1st round of the 2026 NFL Draft, where Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles went to them at No. 7 overall.
They picked that high because they were terrible — the Commanders went 5-12 in the regular season. It was a surprise because they entered the season as Super Bowl contenders.
There likely won’t be that same kind of draft surprise in 2027, with the Commanders staring down what seems like another dismal year that should yield another high draft pick.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski thinks the Commanders will land at No. 10 overall in his latest 2027 mock draft, where he has them going after superstar Texas wide receiver Cam Coleman.
“Texas’ Cam Coleman immediately gives Daniels a big-time target, particularly with Terry McLaurin getting older,” Sobleski wrote on September 7. “Coleman possesses the physical frame and athleticism to be an NFL offense’s WR1. He has great play-strength at the catch-point when extending for a pass or running short-to-intermediate routes. He has all of the traits a team wants in a potential star wideout.”
Longhorns Paid Big Money to Land Cam Coleman
Coleman, 6-foot-3 and 204 pounds, was reportedly lured away from Auburn after 2 seasons thanks to an NIL deal worth approximately $3 million at Texas.
If he ends up being the missing piece to a national championship, that might be some of the best money the school ever spent.
In those 2 seasons at Auburn, Coleman put up big numbers on bad teams with 93 receptions for 1,36 yards and 13 touchdowns in 23 games. In Texas’ 59-7 season-opening win over Texas State on September 5, Coleman had 3 receptions for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns.
“Former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman is transferring to Texas, he announced Sunday,” ESPN’s Max Olson wrote on January 11. “Coleman, the No. 2 player in ESPN’s transfer portal rankings, picked the Longhorns after also visiting Alabama, Texas Tech and Texas A&M.The 6-foot-3, 201-pound sophomore, a former five-star recruit, transferred after two seasons at Auburn and became the top wide receiver available in the portal. He has two more years of eligibility but will be a prized NFL draft prospect next year.”
Coleman also has an interesting connection to a current NFL star and former 1st-round pick — his high school coach at Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama, was Patrick Nix, the former Auburn quarterback and father to current Denver Broncos starting quarterback Bo Nix.
Commanders’ Terrible History of 1st Round WRs
It speaks to how awful the Commanders have been at evaluating talent across different administrations that they haven’t had a successful pick at wide receiver in the 1st round in almost 50 years — since they selected future Pro Football Hall of Famer Art Monk at No. 18 overall in the 1980 NFL Draft.
That run of misery includes some of the most infamous busts in franchise history.
The 5 wide receivers taken in the 46 years since they drafted Monk were Desmond Howard in 1992 (No. 4 overall), Michael Westbrook in 1995 (No. 4 overall), Rod Gardner in 2001 (No. 15 overall), Josh Doctson in 2016 (No. 22 overall), and Jahan Dotson in 2022 (No. 16 overall).
Commanders Predicted to Add ‘Difference Maker’ WR in 1st Round