The Washington Commanders and their fans are gearing up for their most anticipated season to date after taking the NFL world by storm a season ago by making it to the NFC Championship game under first-year head coach Dan Quinn and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Washington retooled their roster this offseason, nabbing key players on both sides of the ball through trades, free agency, and the NFL Draft in an attempt to strengthen their team to compete with their NFC East foes, the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Commanders' draft might not have been all that jaw-dropping, but they added solid pieces depth-wise, with some having starting potential now or down the road in Josh Conerly Jr., Trey Amos, and Jaylin Lane.
Fans will be paying close attention to their rookies once training camp rolls around in mid-July, but it is never too early to look at how the Commanders will finish this season, and when and who they could be taking in the 2026 NFL Draft.
According to ESPN draft expert Matt Miller, the Commanders will, unfortunately, fall short of their dreams of winning the Super Bowl. Miller has Washington exiting the playoffs in the divisional round and entering the 2026 NFL Draft with the 25th overall pick, in which he believes they will bolster their secondary, taking promising young cornerback A.J. Harris out of Penn State.
Nittany Lion to Commander
"The Commanders traded for Marshon Lattimore last season and picked Trey Amos in Round 2 of the 2025 draft but still have a need at corner, especially when considering Lattimore's age and injury history," wrote Miller. "At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Harris has the length Dan Quinn loves in his corners. Harris has shown ball-hawking skills and loves to press and jam receivers. He's still a bit green, having started only one season, but last season's tape -- along with Penn State's track record in developing defenders -- makes Harris one of the most promising corners in the country."
Miller makes a solid point when speaking about the Commanders' current crop of corners. Amos is a promising young talent, but the injury concerns, along with age, should be considered with Lattimore. Taking Harris would give Washington two elite corners on the outside in a DQ defense that loves to play physical at the point of attack.
Harris, a former multi-sport athlete, spent one year with the Georgia Bulldogs before transferring to the Nittany Lions. Once in Happy Valley, Harris exploded onto the scene as a true freshman in the BIG 10, earning All-BIG Ten Third-Team honors with 48 tackles (four TFL), one interception, and five passes defended.
Harris has the size of an ideal NFL cornerback and excels when jamming and playing press man coverage. He plays with a level of confidence that you want from the cornerback position, and shows exceptional route recognition, technique, recovery speed, and is a monster in run support.
Harris has everything you want to see in a cornerback, but with his age, he will take some time to develop against some of the upper-echelon receivers in the NFL. If Harris can improve from his promising first season at Penn State, we could see his draft stock rise even higher with the Commanders hopeful to snag him if he were to fall to them at the 25th pick.
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