{"id":865789,"date":"2026-04-13T22:42:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T22:42:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/865789\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T22:42:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T22:42:19","slug":"commanders-latest-top-30-visit-isnt-getting-talked-about-enough-but-he-could-be-a-surprise-selection-nobody-expects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/865789\/","title":{"rendered":"Commanders&#8217; latest top-30 visit isn&#8217;t getting talked about enough, but he could be a surprise selection nobody expects"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Washington Commanders added another intriguing prospect to their top-30 list, and he could end up being their biggest surprise pick in the 2026 NFL Draft when it\u2019s all said and done.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/USATSI_28354914-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-1280 size-1280 wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\"  data-hero=\"atoz-hero\" \/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFeb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson (RB10) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center.<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a9 Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Washington Commanders are 10 days out before they get to work and add to the future of the franchise through the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ve done an extensive job on evaluating the talent in the NFL Draft, and even learned more about certain prospects on top-30 visits in the Commanders\u2019 facilities. One of their latest top-30 visits was a pleasant surprise as an intriguing prospect who could shake up the draft board and their RB room.<\/p>\n<p>The Washington Commanders host RB Emmett Johnson for a top-30 visit<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/washington-commanders-news\/adam-schefter-names-as-likely-landing-spot-for-rb-jeremiyah-love-despite-top-5-2026-nfl-draft-projections\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/washington-commanders-news\/adam-schefter-names-as-likely-landing-spot-for-rb-jeremiyah-love-despite-top-5-2026-nfl-draft-projections\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Commanders have been heavily linked to elite RB Jeremiyah Love<\/a> since the NFL Scouting Combine, but it\u2019s becoming highly unlikely he makes it to No. 7 overall. They could audible and take another top RB, which nobody expects right now. The chances of that happening grew even more with the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/_RyanFowler_\/status\/2042978952428368196?s=20\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/_RyanFowler_\/status\/2042978952428368196?s=20\" rel=\"nofollow\">Washington Commanders bringing in RB Emmett Johnson for a top-30 visit<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Nebraska RB Emmett Johnson has a 30 visit scheduled with the Washington Commanders, per league source. <\/p>\n<p>Big Ten RB of the year in \u201825 after rushing for 1,451 yds and 12 TDs is one of the premier ball-carriers in the class. Likely Day 2 pick.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_RyanFowler_\/status\/2042978952428368196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">April 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson has a chance to be the third or fourth RB taken in the NFL Draft, which means the Commanders would have to trade back for more Day 2 picks, or take him at No. 71 overall, which would be a stunner. The Commanders can absolutely add another RB, and Johnson is worth keeping an eye on.<\/p>\n<p>Why the Washington Commanders should draft RB Emmett Johnson<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The running game was one of the Washington Commanders\u2019 strongest units last season, but the RB room looks a lot different after some changes. <a href=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/washington-commanders-news\/grading-signing-address-rb-room-rachaad-white-underrated-playmaker-jayden-daniels\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/washington-commanders-news\/grading-signing-address-rb-room-rachaad-white-underrated-playmaker-jayden-daniels\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Rachaad White joined the Commanders on a one-year deal<\/a>, and it wouldn\u2019t surprise me if he\u2019s RB1 next season. Bill Croskey-Merritt is also looking to build off an impressive rookie season and become a more complete RB.<\/p>\n<p>Chris Rodriguez Jr. went to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency, but Jeremy McNichols returned, and he could be fighting for a spot. Drafting Johnson would certainly throw a wrench in things with his type of talent.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson is a shift RB at 5-11, 200 pounds who forced 68 missed tackles in 2025, which was the ninth most in the country. He creates explosive plays with his vision and burst off the line of scrimmage, and collected 1,450 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns last year.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Emmett Johnson dropping because of athletic testing reminds me greatly of Bucky Irving a few years ago\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Most elusive RB in the class. Watch the film. He will remain top 100 on my board \ud83d\udca8 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/C3qZLBdfKl\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/C3qZLBdfKl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL_DF\/status\/2028862213801324901?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">March 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fans might hate the pick, but Johnson is uber talented and could be the RB1 of the future for the Washington Commanders. If they trade back and add another Day 2 pick, Johnson could definitely be an option worth considering to boost the offense even more.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/USATSI_22451467-200x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\"   width=\"200\" height=\"200\" style=\"object-position:41% 40%\"\/>\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"query-card-horizontal__category is-style-eyebrow\">Washington Commanders News<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/washington-commanders-news\/commanders-7-round-2026-nfl-mock-draft-trade-back-first-round-add-picks-omar-cooper-jr-aj-haulcy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCommanders 7-Round 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Washington trades back in first round to load up on talent with extra picks\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"is-style-body-small\">The Washington Commanders are looking to reload in the 2026 NFL Draft, but they only have six picks to work with. In this 7-round NFL mock draft, the Commanders trade back for more ammo to improve the roster.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Washington Commanders added another intriguing prospect to their top-30 list, and he could end up being their&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":865790,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2069],"tags":[4955,427,7,6,116984,855,111,2480],"class_list":{"0":"post-865789","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-washington-commanders","8":"tag-2026-nfl-draft","9":"tag-commanders","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-nfl","12":"tag-top-30-visit","13":"tag-washington","14":"tag-washington-commanders","15":"tag-washingtoncommanders"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116399816992690721","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=865789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865789\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/865790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=865789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=865789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=865789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}