B-
Las Vegas Raiders
A passer of the future in Mendoza, and a B-, for the Raiders.
by TBarin13 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
After circling the position for what felt like forever, the Raiders committed. Fernando Mendoza is the quarterback now, and the roster gets built to his timeline. The bottom line is a respectable B-.
Reaching for Parker II left real value on the table behind him. If one pick saves this weekend, it is Lance.
That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 1st pick they get their quarterback of the future. A real need, handled.
A reasonable price with a little left over, CJ Allen in pick 36. It adds depth where they could use a little.
They reached into another round for Brian Parker II, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Good price on Treydan Stukes in pick No. 102, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Bryce Lance at Round 4, Pick 17 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
The board had Jack Endries higher than slot 134, and the tight end fell to them anyway. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They let Louis Moore come to them and pounced at No. 175. A minor itch, scratched.
Kobe Baynes at the 185th overall pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Bobby Jamison-Travis at the 208th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A need, and now a little less of one.
No drama and no debate, Kaelon Black went about where he belonged in the 219th pick. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.