Commanders Give Jayden Daniels an 1,800-Yard WR2 in Latest Draft Projection

There are a few ways the Washington Commanders could go with the seventh overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

If Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love falls out of the top six, many believe the Commanders would jump on him - though it's unlikely Love falls that far.

They could take a top-tier pass-rusher like Rueben Bain Jr., though it's more likely they look to improve their 24th-ranked passing offense from a season ago, which is why ESPN's Peter Schrager has them grabbing Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate.

"There are a lot of good options on the board, including Ohio State safety Caleb Downs," Schrager stated. "But Washington has to help Jayden Daniels and get this offense back on track. The Commanders scored 20.1 points per game last season but didn’t make many WR additions in free agency. The entire receiver class is available here. I think Washington could pair Tate with Terry McLaurin."

In three seasons at Ohio State, Tate totaled 121 receptions, 1,872 yards, and nine touchdowns. He was one of the Buckeyes go-to weapons during its national championship runs two years ago.

Adding Tate would take some of the pressure off Terry McLaurin to carry the load all by himself.

Washington tried to address the issue last year when it traded for Deebo Samuel form the San Francisco 49ers. Samuel led the team with 38 receptions, 582 yards, and three touchdowns, though he took some of the double teams McLaurin usually did given the latter being limited to 10 games due to injury.

With Samuel hitting free agency, Tate could compete with Dyami Brown for the WR2 spot behind McLaurin next season.

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This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 7:45 PM.