B-
Las Vegas Raiders
Mendoza is the Raiders' new face under center. Grade: B-.
by ezekiel ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
You could see the war room lean forward. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at slot 117 is the sort of fall that does not happen, except it just did.
The whole projection now runs through Fernando Mendoza; hit there and everything else looks smarter. If Ott pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about.
They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 1 they get the face of the franchise. A real need, handled.
Good price on Chris Johnson in the 36th pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Elijah Sarratt in pick No. 67 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Chase Bisontis reach the 102nd overall pick and blink. They did not. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the 117th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It adds depth where they could use a little.
DeMonte Capehart in No. 134 is fair value, right on his grade. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They took Aamil Wagner at par in the Round 5 slot, which is nothing to complain about. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
The board fumbled Hezekiah Masses all the way to pick 185, and they scooped it up. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They talked themselves into Jaydn Ott at Round 6, Pick 27, and the board did not agree. A need, and now a little less of one.
Riley Nowakowski at slot 219 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. The roster fit checks out.