Hogs Haven
There is no elegant way to contextualize a 4–12 season, and by the time Washington limps into Week 18 of the 2025 campaign, the answers are no longer found in weekly matchups or marginal schematic tweaks. They live instead in first principles: roster construction, identity, and the type of foundation the organization wants to build as it stares into 2026.
First, context, because folks, this is not a roster one premium free agent signing or a blue chip prospect away from getting back to an NFC title game. It is a group that lacks talent and connective tissue on defense, consistent physicality on the perimeter, and long-term answers at several premium positions. Heck, you could argue the roster only has three blue-chip players (Daniels, McLaurin, Tunsil), and each are on one side of the football.
The 2026 draft, therefore, becomes less about chasing short-term fixes and more about acquiring contributing, tone-setting players who can survive schematic changes and elevate those around them.
With only six picks currently at GM Adam Peters’ disposal, Washington, as it stands, can’t afford luxury selections. Now, while we could argue all day about how the potential impact of Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love next to Jayden Daniels, each pick must serve multiple purposes: schematic versatility, impact, and the bottom line? Find ballplayers.
What follows is a seven-round mock draft — six selections total — designed to reflect that reality.
You have to hit on a pick inside the top seven — no ifs, ands, or buts about it. For the burgundy and gold, that begins with Caleb Downs, a player whose understanding and execution of the finer details of the game can change the math from a matchup perspective before the ball is even snapped.
His anticipation isn’t reactive; it’s predictive. Downs can recognize route distribution and quarterback intent simultaneously, closing space and throwing lanes that initially look vacant, also. He makes everything look easy, and for Washington, where everything looked like a struggle in 2025, it would provide a massive breath of fresh air.
Against the run, his instincts are equally rare. The former five-star recruit out of Hoschton, Georgia consistently takes angles that erase cutback lanes while maintaining disciplined outside leverage on boundary concepts, and he doesn’t chase plays, he compresses them. That ability alone changes how aggressive a front seven can be, knowing there is a safety behind them who understands spacing and pursuit angles at a high level.
As a tackler, Downs blends intelligent violence with precision. He breaks down in space with balance, finishing through the ball carrier rather than at him, and his missed-tackle rate sits among the lowest in the class, a reflection not just of form, but of timing and intent.
In coverage, Downs offers what we talked about at the top with alignment versatility. He moves with fluidity in man situations, mirroring tight ends and slot receivers with patience through stems and break points....
