B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders answered their biggest question with Mendoza. Grade: B-.
by HeadBeagle ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 5 steals
· 0 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. A dependable weekend that grades out a B-.
They will answer for taking safety early while edge rusher, offensive lineman and other spots went begging. Landing Ramsey that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
On the needs board they went 4 of 8, with cornerback the one that mattered most.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 1 they get a passer to set the clock by at fair value. A real need, handled.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Dillon Thieneman at Round 2, Pick 4. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Lee Hunter in the 67th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Kamari Ramsey adds a safety and leaves edge rusher, offensive lineman and other spots untouched.
Ja'Kobi Lane slipping to the 117th overall pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They read the board right and Will Lee III was the payoff at the Round 4 slot. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.