B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders found their guy under center in Mendoza: B-.
by skaarman ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 4 reaches
The Raiders did not so much draft Adam Randall as overpay for him, 61 picks clear of his grade. It sets an uneasy tone for the weekend.
Fernando Mendoza gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits. Getting Rutledge where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 1st pick they get the arm they will build around at fair value.
Omar Cooper Jr. at pick 36 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board fumbled Lee Hunter all the way to the 67th overall pick, and they scooped it up. The roster fit checks out.
Keylan Rutledge at the Round 4 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They let Jalon Kilgore come to them and pounced at slot 117. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They paid up for Charles Demmings at Round 4, Pick 34 when waiting would have done the job. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: VJ Payne in slot 175, miles early. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A straight-up fair deal on Dae'Quan Wright at the Round 6 slot, value and slot in agreement. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A real head-scratcher, Kaelon Black in Round 6, Pick 27 is miles ahead of his ranking. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Adam Randall at pick 219 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A need, and now a little less of one.