RAIDERS MOCK DRAFT GRADE B-

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A B-

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Letter grade with a four-component score, written analysis, and a pick-by-pick breakdown for every selection in this saved mock.

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B-

Las Vegas Raiders

Mendoza is the Raiders' new face under center. Grade: B-.

by A · 2026 NFL Draft · 11 picks · 2 steals · 3 reaches
Value B-
Need B
Trades B-
Future B-

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. They moved the roster forward and banked a B- for it.

If Nowakowski pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. If one pick saves this weekend, it is Rivers. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher.

On the needs board they went 7 of 8, with cornerback the one that mattered most.

In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.

Pick-by-Pick

R1.1 · Pick 1 · Fernando Mendoza · QB · rank 4
In pick No. 1 they get a long-term answer under center. A real need, handled.
R2.4 · Pick 36 · Lee Hunter · DT · rank 48
A reach on Lee Hunter in the 36th overall pick; the board had better options right there. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
R3.3 · Pick 67 · Germie Bernard · WR · rank 59
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Germie Bernard at No. 67 is the proof. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R4.2 · Pick 102 · Bud Clark · S · rank 99
Nothing to complain about; Bud Clark went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
R4.17 · Pick 117 · Chandler Rivers · CB · rank 92
They will replay Chandler Rivers at the 117th pick for years; that is how good the value is. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R4.34 · Pick 134 · Dametrious Crownover · OT · rank 139
No edge and no loss on Dametrious Crownover in Round 4, Pick 34; it is a wash and a sensible one. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R5.35 · Pick 175 · Red Murdock · LB · rank 184
Red Murdock in the Round 5 slot is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R6.1 · Pick 182 · DJ Campbell · OG · rank 177
DJ Campbell in pick 182 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R6.4 · Pick 185 · Pat Coogan · C · rank 190
By-the-book stuff, Pat Coogan at slot 185 squarely in line with his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R6.27 · Pick 208 · Kaelon Black · RB · rank 207
No drama and no debate, Kaelon Black went about where he belonged in pick No. 208. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
R7.3 · Pick 219 · Riley Nowakowski · TE · rank 273
They left a pile of value on the table to take Riley Nowakowski this early at pick 219. It fills a real need, too.
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