Our 2026 NFL mock draft continues.
For those just joining in now, our site-wide mock is run by some of our most devoted community members. The 31 teams are represented individually by one of our commenters, while Erik Schlitt will select for the Detroit Lions.
We’ve come to Pick 7 in the mock, which is owned by the Washington Commanders. Selecting for the Commanders is commenter Hooligan082. He’ll be tasked with helping turn around a team that had an even more disappointing season than the Lions—falling
to 5-12 after reaching the NFC Championship last year.
Before we get into their pick, here’s a look at the first six picks in the mock:
- Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza
- Jets: EDGE Arvell Reese
- Cardinals: EDGE David Bailey
- Titans: RB Jeremiyah Love
- Giants: WR Carnell Tate
- Browns: OT Monroe Freeling
With the seventh pick in the 2026 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Washington Commanders select Makai Lemon, wide receiver from USC
Here’s Hooligan082 explaining the pick:
Washington’s offense has been a work in progress, but the pieces are falling into place around the legs, arm, and football IQ of Jayden Daniels. The one missing piece has always been a legitimate second receiving threat to pull coverage off Terry McLaurin. Makai Lemon fixes that.
When Jeremiyah Love came off the board to Tennessee at four, it narrowed the field of dynamic playmakers worth taking at this spot. Jordan Tyson was on the board, but the medical concerns were a non-starter at seventh overall. With Love gone and Tyson a risk, Lemon was the right call.
A high-volume move receiver in the Amon-Ra St. Brown mold—elite route-running, elite ball skills. He posted a 91 production score (1st among all WRs) and—per NFL Next Gen Stats—an 85 combine score out of potential 99 (3rd overall), measured at 5-foot-11″, 192 pounds with a 4.46 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. Biletnikoff Award winner in 2025: 1,156 yards, 11 touchdowns, two drops on 109 targets. His 66.7% contested catch rate tells us everything about how he plays above his frame, again fitting that Amon-Ra swiss army knife WR role. Versatile enough to align anywhere on the field, which gives new OC David Blough exactly the kind of weapon he knows how to use—he spent years in Detroit scheming around St. Brown.
McLaurin draws bracket or even double coverage, Lemon finds the soft spot underneath, and Daniels gets a safety valve who wins at every level of the route tree. A perfect addition for a rookie OC trying to get things back on track in WA.
What do we think about this pick for the Commanders? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Give it a grade in the poll below, and then share your expanded thoughts in the comment section.
