C
Las Vegas Raiders
Some hits, some head-scratchers, and a C for the Raiders.
by Jaybeast17 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 6 steals
· 2 reaches
There is reaching, and then there is Preston Stone at the Round 2 slot. The Raiders jumped the board by 334 and dared it to prove them wrong. It lands right in the middle: a C, no more, no less.
The Thompson steal is the beam this whole class leans on. Spending an early pick on safety with edge rusher, cornerback and other spots open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to. For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain.
The roster is better shaped than it was, with wide receiver chief among the fixes.
If Francis Mauigoa and a couple of the gambles land, hindsight will be kinder than this grade.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 1 they get an anchor for the offensive line at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Tanner Koziol well ahead of where he belonged. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Preston Stone at slot 43 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Arvell Reese at No. 67 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A minor itch, scratched.
Taking Dillon Thieneman in the Round 4 slot is close to grand larceny; a safety that good had no business lasting this long. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
They bypassed pressing needs at edge rusher, cornerback and other spots to take A.J. Haulcy, a safety that was not the priority.
Steal is underselling it; Brian Parker II at the 134th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Circle this one: Brenen Thompson at No. 208 is a fall that decides a draft. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Cole Payton in slot 219. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.