C+
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders drew a line under the quarterback search with Mendoza: C+.
by [email protected] ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 1 steals
· 1 reaches
They finally answered the question that shadows every other one. Fernando Mendoza is the Raiders' quarterback, full stop. Fine in stretches, shaky in others: a C+.
For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain. However the rest shakes out, Lee III at that price is a win they earned.
They are betting Orange proves the room right and everyone else wrong.
If Fernando Mendoza and a couple of the gambles land, hindsight will be kinder than this grade.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 1 they get their quarterback of the future. A clean fit for the roster.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Omar Cooper Jr.. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Gennings Dunker in the 42nd overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Domonique Orange in pick 67 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They paid sticker price for Nicholas Singleton in the 102nd pick, and that is fine. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
De'Zhaun Stribling at the Round 4 slot is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Will Lee III is a better player than Round 4, Pick 34 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
No edge and no loss on Aamil Wagner in slot 175; it is a wash and a sensible one. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.