Commanders Nearly Pivoted to the Secondary Before Landing Sonny Styles at Seven

The 2026 NFL Draft felt different than the drafts that have come before it. Teams focused more on their own boards and needs rather than on the consensus of positional value and best player available.

The Washington Commanders fit somewhere in the middle of that, but they had a clear idea of what to do: improve the defense and get Jayden Daniels another offensive weapon. The Commanders came away with solid players, but the value of where they were able to get their rookies is what stood out the most to the pundits.

The biggest pick for Washington came in the form of Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles with the seventh overall pick. However, while it was clear that Styles was the Commanders' choice in the first round, they reportedly had backup plans if he were to have gone before them, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

The Commanders Could Have Pivoted to a Secondary Pick

"The Commanders were zeroed in on linebacker Sonny Styles (Ohio State) at No. 7, but my sense in talking with the team is that Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and LSU corner Mansoor Delane would have been viable fallbacks on the team's board," wrote Fowler.

Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs (2) celebrates an interception with linebacker Sonny Styles (0) | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Commanders had plenty of options on the table entering the draft, but apparently had keyed in on Styles despite smoke leading up to the draft around Jeremiyah Love (Arizona Cardinals), Carnell Tate (Tennessee Titans), Downs (Dallas Cowboys), and Delane (Kansas City Chiefs).

Three of the four went ahead of the Commanders' picks, with the Chiefs ultimately trading up to the sixth spot to take Delane off the board as they believed he would be Washington's pick at seven.

With Love, Tate, and Delane all off the board, the Commanders were left with either Styles or Downs, and quickly made the pick they had in their minds all along.

Drafting Styles made more sense for the current shape of Washington's roster, along with how they plan on building into the future. Taking Downs would have been a solid addition, but they believe they are pretty set in the safety department with the likes of Nick Cross, Will Harris, Quan Martin, and Jeremy Reaves.

Where it would have gotten really interesting is if the Chiefs hadn't decided to trade right ahead of the Commanders to take Delane. If Delane had been available, it would have made the decision much tougher for Adam Peters and company, with the best off-ball linebacker and the best cornerback both open for them to take.

That of course didn't materialize and the Commanders wound up with their guy.

Add us as a preferred source on Google