From a price point perspective, one mock trade makes a lot more sense than the other for the Washington Commanders.
Between these two trade packages, which would you say yes to?
The question that hasn't been discussed as much as of late is the possibility of trades on draft night. That's partly because the consistent expectation is...there might not be as much activity. With few quarterbacks worthy of trading into the top ten to draft, the general sentiment has been the field could likely stand pat.
Still, the Commanders were linked to a pair of mock trades this week to address the wide receiver room - one vastly more realistic than the other.
Bleacher Report pointed to the Commanders trading the seventh overall pick in the first round to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for Brian Thomas Jr.
The player? Makes sense. Only entering his third season and still on his rookie deal, Thomas is another who played with quarterback Jayden Daniels while at LSU to add familiarity around the Commanders star. The price point? Insane.
Thomas, who went 23rd overall in the same draft as Daniels, broke out with nearly 1,300 receiving yards and ten touchdowns on 87 catches as a rookie, proving to be one of the best at his position among rookies. Yet his production was nearly cut in half in year two after finishing with just 707 receiving yards and three total touchdowns on 48 catches while also missing three games.
The other part of the equation has been whether it even makes sense for the Jaguars to trade Thomas, while they have not shown signs of actually doing so after pushing back on claims that they were open to it.
But the other trade proposal? Maybe more realistic - and more intriguing.
FOX Sports projected the Commanders as a sensible trade partner with the Pittsburgh Steelers for wide receiver DK Metcalf.
The projection has Washington sending its 71st overall pick in the third round, along with a fifth round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, to Pittsburgh in exchange for Metcalf.
Despite missing combined five games over the last three seasons, he's made his mark as one of the more physically dominant outside receivers in the league with at least five receiving touchdowns in each of his seven seasons, including three 1,000 yard seasons.
The catch?
Metcalf will enter 2026 on the first year of a four year, $132 million contract.
Whether that would be a steep price to pay for Metcalf, who will turn 29 at the end of the 2026 season, would be a question mark given it'd point to the Commanders turning to another veteran receiver to anchor the room.
Both Metcalf and Thomas add intrigue to what could be the final pieces in the wide receiver room with all the focus on insulating Jayden Daniels with upgraded weapons in 2026, but big picture, would Washington pull the trigger on a trade involving its already limited 2026 draft capital?
The good news is with less than two weeks to go until the 2026 NFL Draft officially unfolds, the projections and bold claims will come to an end as general manager Adam Peters and the front office work through day one.