With Washington on a bye, the Commanders had a scout at Saturday’s Ole Miss-Texas matchup, a game that gave them plenty to watch even if Arch Manning and Trinidad Chambliss were probably not the main targets.
Manning helped Texas knock off Ole Miss and hand the Rebels just their second loss of the season, but it seems unlikely Washington made the trip with either quarterback in mind. The more natural fits are on offense elsewhere on the field, where several names stood out.
Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy would be the most obvious player to draw interest. He has become one of the best backs in college football and a central piece of the Rebels’ offense.
Last season, Lacy led the FBS with 306 rushing attempts, finished with 1,576 rushing yards and scored 24 rushing touchdowns, tops in the SEC. This year has been more difficult because of injuries, and he eventually left the game in the third quarter on a cart after suffering a shoulder injury.
Texas running back Raleek Brown also gave the scout something to note. Brown piled up 157 rushing yards and averaged 6.8 yards per carry in the win. He had originally declared for the 2026 NFL Draft before backing out and transferring to Texas, and he is viewed as a day two or day three pick, a range that could make more sense for Washington given its other needs.
The receiver group on Texas’ side could have been part of the evaluation too, especially with Terry McLaurin’s season-ending injury and Stefon Diggs’ age in the mix. Ryan Wingo and Cam Coleman are both names Washington could have been tracking. Wingo, known for his speed, showed it on a 50-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Wingo was also one of the SEC’s most productive receivers last season, finishing top-10 in receiving yards and touchdowns. He has kept it going this year with 345 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
At the moment, he is viewed as a possible first-round pick, though he could wind up slipping into the second round. The Commanders currently hold one pick in every round of the 2027 NFL Draft.
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This season has been a much different story, with his production slipping and Washington now having to navigate the position without him in the lineup. Bleacher Reports recent ranking of the 2025 running back class only adds to the bigger-picture concern for the Commanders, because the question is no longer just whether Croskey-Merritt can rediscover his rookie form, but where he really stacks up against the rest of that draft class moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Still Have A Few Young Reasons For Hope
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Sonny Styles has also emerged as one of the more encouraging developments on the defense, doing the kind of work that shows up all over the field even when the teams results do not. Add in KLavon Chaissons pressure off the edge, and the Commanders can at least point to a handful of players who have made a difficult opening stretch feel a little less bleak, even if the bigger turnaround is still waiting to happen. [Read more 🡒]