This is the question that NFL analyst Warren Sharp has investigated using consensus mock drafts and consensus big boards.
Sharp puts those mocks and big boards together, "comparing the total draft capital used to draft a player at a particular point in the draft relative to what was expected". Sharp calls it DCOE (Draft Capital Over Expectation). In sum, Sharp is not exhibiting a subjective grading bias. He is, however, putting the numbers together, determining which teams reached and which teams got good expectation value.
Placing the numbers on a graph, here is how each team scored. Remember, it is not a grade but an actual DCOE score. It's a score revealing who actually remained closest to consensus boards and who reached.
The result presented good news for the Washington Commanders.
best value 2026 NFL draft classes1. Commanders2. Panthers3. Colts4. Bengals5. Jets6. Giants7. Buccaneers8. Raiders9. Falcons10. Chiefssee pic for 1-32 plus methodologyREAD FULL ANALYSIS:https://t.co/RaVIrqOuUjteam-by-team & round-by-round analysis to follow 🧵 pic.twitter.com/P9BAQwNGHW
How did Sharp break down the Commanders in particular? If you don't care to read the entire article, here is what Sharp revealed regarding the Commanders' choices:
Washington didn’t have much capital, but it grabbed value early and often.
It started in Round 1, when Sonny Styles slipped from an expected top-five pick to the Commanders at No. 7.
With Friday’s only pick, the Commanders drafted WR Antonio Williams in Round 3 at No. 71 when he was expected to go at No. 66.
But their Saturday picks flashed even more value. In Round 5, they took EDGE Joshua Josephs at No. 146 when he was expected to go No. 77.
In Round 6, they drafted RB Kaytron Allen at No. 186 when he was expected to go No. 130.
Later that round, they grabbed C Matt Gulbin from Michigan State at No. 208 when he was expected to go No. 168.
Therefore, in conclusion, we see the only time the Commanders reached in this draft was their final seventh-round pick when they took Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who was not expected to be drafted.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders score 2026 NFL Draft's best value