The top cornerback in the draft heads to Washington, which should be making major investments on defense this offseason.

The Commanders' list of roster needs is so extensive that Carnell Tate, Sonny Styles, Mansoor Delane and Jeremiyah Love all would have been upgrades here. But Bain is the clear pick. The Commanders need to rebuild the defense to give Jayden Daniels some support, and it starts up front, where they've lacked an elite pass rusher the last two seasons. Enter Bain, a ferocious and complete pass rusher, who knows how to use his power and leverage to dominate tackles. His 30 3/4-inch arms could be a sticking point for some, but his length didn't appear to be a hindrance; he had an FBS-best 83 pressures to go with 23 run stops in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus. He's the game-wrecker Washington sorely needs.

David Bailey is just so damn fast off the snap. His first step overwhelmed a lot of his competition at the college level, and while life will be more difficult at the next level -- meaning he'll need to develop more technique -- Bailey will improve your pass rush. Will he help stop the run? I'm not as confident there.

The Commanders took a big step back last season. After their surprising run to the NFC Championship Game in 2024, they won five games and landed in the top 10 of the draft. Jayden Daniels missed 10 games with various injuries, and the offense tumbled, as you might expect. Washington went from fifth in scoring (28.1 points per game) to 23rd (20.1). Terry McLaurin struggled, and the running backs lacked juice.

Things might have been worse on defense. Washington allowed 6.0 yards per play. Bobby Wagner still did his thing (162 tackles), but he's a 36-year-old free agent, and one of the oldest rosters of the 2025 season needed to get younger.

At No. 7, Jeremiyah Love was suggested as a perfect fit, and he would have been. But he was long gone when Washington was on the clock. I projected Carnell Tate there in my final mock as the other outside receiver opposite McLaurin, but he was gone, too. The Commanders theoretically could have taken Jordyn Tyson, Reuben Bain Jr. or Caleb Downs to check off needs, but they went with the best player still on the board.

Sonny Styles (fourth in my rankings) shows his former-safety self, using 4.46 speed and elite-level explosion to read the play and close in a flash. He doesn't miss tackles and chases down running backs before they can get to the edge. He's a high-floor, high-ceiling prospect who is going to make this team better. It was a really good start to the draft.

Antonio Williams and Kaytron Allen will boost the offense. Williams catches a lot of passes and is productive after the catch (331 of his 604 yards last year came after securing the football). He missed a little time last season and wasn't as effective as he was in 2024 (11 touchdowns), but he will be a reliable outlet out of the slot for Daniels while also making an impact as a returner. Allen isn't Love, but he did score 15 touchdowns on the ground last season and broke 30 runs for at least 10 yards. The Commanders brought in Rachaad White and Jerome Ford to join Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the backfield, but Allen will see his share of touches.

Joshua Josephs fell a little bit in the pre-draft process (only four sacks last season), and the Athan Kaliakmanis pick was a little off the wall. He was QB19 on my board. If Washington wanted a backup quarterback, Garrett Nussmeier was still there.

Regardless, Styles will be the centerpiece of this draft class, and he has the chance to be a really effective player for a very long time. I'm excited to see him team up with Frankie Luvu and Leo Chenal to shore up the team's struggling defense.

LB Sonny Styles, the seventh overall pick, is the headliner of a light class ... and should be creating quite a few headlines for years into the future as the man in the middle and new face of this defense. A freakish athlete and multi-dimensional weapon who used to play safety, Styles' mind might ultimately be his greatest asset, especially given the likelihood cerebral stud Bobby Wagner likely won't return. Third-round WR Antonio Williams has a chance to crack the rotation early. And don't forget that GM Adam Peters spent a package of picks, including this year's second- and fourth-rounder, in 2025 in order to obtain Pro Bowl LT Laremy Tunsil ... as much good as it did QB Jayden Daniels last season.