The Washington Commanders were linked to a pair of Buckeyes in two updated 2026 NFL mock drafts released on Tuesday
With NFL Draft season upon us, the case can be made for several prospects for the Washington Commanders ahead of their seventh overall selection in April's draft. Days after one analyst made the case for Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate to Washington, another made the case for another Buckeye to land in DC who was tabbed "one of the best players in this draft class."
"You're going to hear a lot about positional value with him but if we're stacking the talent in this year's draft, Caleb Downs arguably is the best one in this year's class," ESPN's Jordan Reid said on Tuesday. "And a big problem that Washington had last year is explosive plays given up in the secondary so Caleb Downs would go a long way in improving Daronte Jones' defense now at the helm."
Of course, Downs has remained a frequent projection among Commander fans with a major need to upgrade the secondary, much less the defense as a whole. The continued projections also come after new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones noted both Quan Martin and Will Harris with Martin questioned as either a safety or nickel and Harris able to "move [on] the line of scrimmage, cover tight ends on the deep paths."
Downs has been routinely tabbed as one of the best safety prospects to enter the NFL Draft in recent years with a chance of defying draft norms by becoming a top-ten selection, looking to become the first to do so since Jamal Adams went sixth overall to the New York Jets back in 2017.
But of course, he wasn't the only Buckeye projected to land in DC on Tuesday. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network pointed to former Ohio State star Arvell Reese, who projects as either an edge rusher or linebacker, as the Commanders' likely selection after noting he has the "highest upside" among the Buckeyes headed to the NFL.
"Reese provides Washington some explosiveness and versatility," Jeremiah added. "He might be a tougher projection than some of the other pass rushers in this year's draft, given that he split time between edge rusher and off-ball linebacker for the Buckeyes."
Similar to Downs, Reese is coming off a dominant last season for the Buckeyes where he posted 10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and 62 tackles, ranked top 15 in the Big Ten in both sacks and TFLs during the regular season. Reese was also among a recent batch of defensive prospects projected to land in Washington