B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders answered their biggest question with Mendoza. Grade: B-.
by Grumzy ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
Start where it matters. The Raiders took Fernando Mendoza to run the offense for the next decade, and every other decision this weekend bends around that one. It nets out to a B-, which feels about right.
The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer. The Black pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. Hurst at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster.
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 clean fit for the roster.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at pick No. 36 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
No edge and no loss on Zachariah Branch in slot 67; it is a wash and a sensible one. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Nice patience on Ted Hurst, who had no business lasting to the 102nd overall pick. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Jalon Kilgore at pick 117 is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They read the board right and Will Lee III was the payoff at the 134th pick. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They took Travis Burke at par in the Round 5 slot, which is nothing to complain about. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
J'Mari Taylor in No. 185 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Kaelon Black at Round 6, Pick 27 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
By-the-book stuff, Riley Nowakowski at pick 219 squarely in line with his ranking. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.