With the 2026 draft out of the way, and first wave of UDFA singings concluded, the 91-man offseason roster is coming into shape as we look to OTAs later this month.
By my estimate, there are currently seven starting positions and one specialist position to be decided, or at least up for challenge, in camp: CB2, WR2, WR3, Center, S, LG, RB, K. Most of those positions will be filled by returning starters, or established players already on the roster. It is likely that one or two well known players will also be brought in before camp to shore up some of the more profile gaps.
Those position battles will dominate the headlines, and rightly so. But there will be other stories in camp that are equally compelling, if ultimately less impactful. Every year on Hogs Haven the Mason/Brennan Preseason Hype! Award celebrates the trials and tribulations of less heralded players vying for positions toward the other end of the depth chart or on the practice squad.
This honor is awarded every August to the late-round draft pick or UDFA signee who captures the fans’ imaginations through exemplary play in training camp and pre-season games. Often the winners and stand-out contestants have proved unable to sustain their preseason feats through the regular season. And many have been released at final roster cut-downs to the shock of the Hogs Haven readership.
Occasionally, though, an Alfred Morris or Bill Croskey-Merritt rises from obscurity to claim a starting position. More often the pre-season success of these gritty underdogs results in claiming one of the last positions decided on the 53-man roster or a place on the practice squad. No matter where they end up, the Mason/Brennan hopefuls who make it invariably become fan favorites, like long-time special teams standout and All-Pro Jeremy Reaves and the ill-fated Kyshoen Jarrett, who joined the Redskins coaching staff after a nerve injury cut short his promising NFL career.
To keep the post-draft buzz alive, as we head into the pause before OTAs, this week I will be previewing the eligible contestants for this year’s Mason/Brennan Hype! Award in three daily instalments:
Front Runners <you are here>
Chasing Pack
Dark Horses and Longshots
Eligible players include this year’s 6th and 7th round picks and UDFAs, and other roster hopefuls in their first two years in the league. The full Mason/Brennan eligibility rules are as follows:
Mason/Brennan Hype! Front Runners
K Drew Stevens, Senior, Iowa – Undrafted camp tryout
6-1 | 213 lbs
2025 College Stats: 41/42 XP | 78.6% FG | 4/6 FG 50+
Hype Potential: Unlimited
Nothing has greater pre-season hype potential than a kicking battle in camp. Stevens is the young, up-and-comer with the strong leg to make kicks over 50 yds. He is pitted against Jake Moody, who was drafted in the 3rd round by Adam Peters with the 49ers and struggles to make kicks consistently from any distance.
If that were not enough to get a hype storm brewing, Stevens is an athletic kicker who makes tackles in kickoff return coverage. If Stevens can pull that off in a game, a new legend of the pre-season will be born.
The sky is literally the limit. And I mean that in the literal sense of the word ‘literal’.
Is it Just Hype? Stevens was inconsistent on field goals from 40-49 yds in college (69% career hit rate). Then again, his college numbers are better than Moody’s as a pro (61.5%). Consistency on short and intermediate kicks will be the key to displacing Adam’s guy.
RB Kaytron “Fatman” Allen, Senior, Penn State – 2026 Round 6, Pick 187
5-11 | 216 lbs
2025 College Stats: 210 att | 1,303 yds | 6.2 Y/A | 15 TD | 3.77 YAC/att | 57 MTF | 1 fum (0.5%)
Hype Potential: 9/10
I’ve already got Kaytron pencilled in for between-the-tackles duties, in rotation with Bill, and Rachaad White on third downs. I’ll be shocked if he isn’t Washington’s leading rusher this season, and one of the leaders of the rookie class. He was a highly productive and durable rusher at Penn State with great ball security and not bad at picking up blitzers in pass protection.
Is it Just Hype? It’s not. But for the sake of argument, Allen doesn’t have top-tier burst or breakaway speed. He wasn’t used much as a receiver in college. If he does flash that ability in camp, then the hype will kick into overdrive.
CB Car’lin Vigers – 2025 UDFA
6-1 | 205 lbs | 32.75” arms | 4.52 sec 40 | 7.99 RAS | Age 25
Hype Potential: 9/10
Vigers is thrust into the hype conversation by virtue of the position he plays. Lance Newmark tells us that the team is happy with the CB room as it stands. I’m not buying it, and I doubt many Hogs Haven readers are, either. I won’t be comfortable until the Commanders find someone better than Akhello Witherspoon to start opposite of Trey Amos. They can’t possibly be planning on rolling with Mike Sainristil outside again, after his nightmare performance in coverage last season.
This is Vigers’ second training camp with the Commanders, and his last shot at Mason/Brennan glory. He has an NFL frame and respectable athleticism. At Louisiana Monroe, he was a blanket cover corner who took away one side of the field. If he can flash that ability in camp, he will tap into an explosive mix of hope and frustration in the fanbase.
Is it Just Hype? After sparking some hype early in camp last season, he disappeared from view, and never got the call, even when the starters dropped like flies during the regular season.
Matt Gulbin C, 5th Yr Senior, Michigan State – Round 6, Pick 209
6-4 | 305 lbs | 31.75” arms | RAS 3.46 | Age 23
2025 Stats: 11 Games | 727 Blk Snps | Pressure Rate 1.23% | 81.9 Run Blk Grade
Hype Potential: 9/10
The other position battle in the training camp spotlight is center. The Commanders released Tyler Biadasz after an up and down season and went another direction in the draft with Gulbin. Gulbin has nowhere near Biadasz’s athleticism, and is a mauler who wins with power and stubborness.
Despite some athletic limitations and the dreaded short arms, Gulbin posted the highest run blocking grade in the center draft class and one of the lowest Pressure Rates in pass protection. Gulbin has a golden opportunity to seize the starting position from this year’s whipping boy, Nick Allegretti. Expect the Hogs faithful to go nuts with every pancake block and stonewall in pass pro.
Is it Just Hype? There is some uncertainty surrounding Gulbin’s testing numbers, and how his skillset will translate to David Blough’s offense.
WR Jaden Bradley, 5th Yr Senior, UNLV – 2026 UDFA
5th Yr Senior, UNLV
6-3 | 203 lbs | 4.55 sec 40 | 7.91 RAS
2025 College Stats: 14 games | 58 rec | 931 yds | 4 TD | 2.53 Y/RR | 8.7% CROE | 16.3 yd ADOT
Hype Potential: 9/10
The big wide receiver with a slow 40 time is a Mason-Brennan archetype. And true to type, Braden has a shot at making the roster – or at least making fans think he will make the roster – because he is really good at catching the football. His 8.7% Catch Rate Over Expectation placed him in the 87th percentile of FBS receivers.
Jaden turned up as a “hit” in the stats analysis for the WRs roundup I published early in the draft cycle. I couldn’t find a single scouting report on the internet, so I didn’t feature him. That made it a pleasant surprise when the Commanders signed him after the draft.
Many in the fanbase still feel that the passing attack is underpowered, creating significant hype potential in the pre-season. Expect the board to go off when Jaden makes his first spectacular catch in training camp.
Is it just hype? Bradley flew completely under the media radar. There is not even a single scouting report on the internet. The most I could find was a tweet describing him as big, strong and physical.
DT Ricky Barber – 2025 UDFA
6-1 | 296 lbs | 33” arms | 5.20 sec 40 | 4.85 RAS
NFL Experience: 32 defensive snaps in 2 games
Hype Potential: 8/10
The only thing keeping Ricky from a higher Hype Potential score is complacency about the DT position. Barber was the dark horse of the 2025 pre-season, who clawed his way onto the practice squad. He got his opportunity in Week 17 against the Cowboys and delivered 3 combined tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack and 1 QB hit (25% Pressure Rate!) in just 15 defensive snaps. Few NFL defenders produced such a concentrated burst of productivity last season. The Eagles game planned for him the following week and kept him in check.
Barber is a wrecking ball of disruption, just waiting to explode in the hands of a creative, aggressive defensive coordinator.
Is it Just Hype? Barber is just on the small side for a DE in a 3-man front and isn’t the twitchiest athlete. The Commanders also added depth at his position in free agency, making his uphill climb even steeper this season.
S Malik Spencer, Senior, Michigan State – 2026 UDFA
6-0 | 197 lbs | 4.51 sec 40 | 5.73 RAS
2025 College Stats: 12 games | 52 comb tkl | 3 TFL | 1 FF | 2 sacks | 31.6% Pressure Rate | 1 INT | 5 PD | 0.61 Y/Cov Snap
Hype Potential: 7.5/10
Spencer is flying under the radar for now. His Hype Potential stems from versatility, scheme fit and sneaky good productivity in the backfield.
Commanders’ new DC Daronte Jones preaches position-agnostic football. His hyper-aggressive defensive scheme requires interchangeable defensive backs who can line up and play any position in the secondary and excel in zone and man coverages. Aside from 2026 FA addition Nick Cross, the Commanders’ safety lineup invites competition.
Spencer has the versatility to play box and free safety positions, and cover tight ends and bigger WRs in the slot. He is a natural zone defender, with strong instincts in run support. He was highly effective when used occasionaly as a blitzer.
Could Malik be Adam Peters’ next under-the-radar find at DB? We are about to find out.
Is it Just Hype? Spencer has average long speed, potentially limiting him to underneath and intermediate zone coverage. His Run Stop numbers tailed off in 2025, after peaking in 2024.
Coming Tomorrow: The Chasing Pack
