Jan. 31, 2026, 7:03 a.m. ET
The Washington Commanders and the 31 other NFL teams were in Mobile, Alabama, this week for the 2026 Senior Bowl. Every team was represented at the Senior Bowl, with general manager Adam Peters leading the Washington contingent.
The two players most teams wanted to see up close were edge rushers Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami) and David Bailey (Texas Tech). However, both players pulled out of the Senior Bowl. Bain and Bailey are both expected to go somewhere inside the top 10 of April’s 2026 NFL Draft.
It’s no secret that the Commanders‘ primary need is a dominant edge rusher. You can bet Peters wanted to have access to Bain and Bailey for a few days this week.
Is it possible that one of the two will fall to Washington at No. 7? Depending on who you talk to, the Commanders will have a good chance to landing one of the two top pass rushers.
In a new mock draft for NFL.com, Eric Edholm projects Washington to land Bailey with the No. 7 overall pick.
Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.
Washington didn’t do enough to address its defensive needs last year, especially its dormant pass rush. Bailey isn’t a complete edge just yet, but his explosive get-off and pass-rush juice would help upgrade the Commanders’ front quickly.
Bain went No. 9 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
While it’s that time of the year for fans to develop draft crushes, almost every Washington fan would be elated to land Bailey at No. 7. Ideally, the Commanders can land an edge rusher in free agency to pair with Bailey and the returning Dorance Armstrong. Bailey would instantly make Washington’s pass rush more formidable in 2026.
Just this week, Washington hired a new defensive coordinator, Daronte Jones, who came from Minnesota, where Brian Flores’ aggressive attack was one of the NFL’s best defensive units. Can Jones replicate that success in Washington? It’s possible, but he’ll need better players, and Bailey is a great place to start.