B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders drew a line under the quarterback search with Mendoza: B-.
by Grumzy ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 5 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Raiders spent their marquee pick on Fernando Mendoza, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. A dependable weekend that grades out a B-.
Every board in the league had Nowakowski lower, and that gap is the story. Everette at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 1 they get the face of the franchise at fair value. A real need, handled.
Denzel Boston in pick No. 36 lands just on the right side of the ledger. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Lee Hunter in the 67th overall pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Daylen Everette in Round 4, Pick 2 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Bud Clark at pick 117 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Dametrious Crownover in slot 134 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A conviction pick on Taylen Green at the 175th pick that the board grades a round light. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Riley Nowakowski well ahead of where he belonged. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Kaelon Black in the 208th pick, miles early. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Value said wait; Robert Spears-Jennings in slot 219 says they were not listening. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.