B-
Las Vegas Raiders
Mendoza is the plan now, and the Raiders grade out a B-.
by Grumzy ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 4 steals
· 4 reaches
The Raiders spent the pick that matters most on Fernando Mendoza, and a roster that has been waiting on a passer can start to take shape.
Black has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. The Bell steal is the beam this whole class leans on.
A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 1 they get a passer to set the clock by at fair value.
A quiet steal in the 36th pick: Dillon Thieneman for less than the market said. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Lee Hunter at Round 3, Pick 3 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It fills a real need, too.
Treydan Stukes in the Round 4 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They will replay Skyler Bell at the 117th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Gracen Halton at pick 134 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A reach for Taylen Green in slot 175; a little patience would have been rewarded. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They talked themselves into Kaelon Black at pick No. 185, and the board did not agree. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Riley Nowakowski at No. 208 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. The roster fit checks out.
Value said wait; Robert Spears-Jennings in pick No. 219 says they were not listening. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.