B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders found their guy under center in Mendoza: B-.
by grady.s ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 3 steals
· 4 reaches
It is the swing that defines the weekend: Justin Jefferson in pick 117, a good 81 spots before the room expected him. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B-.
The whole projection now runs through Fernando Mendoza; hit there and everything else looks smarter. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
The Moore pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 1st pick they get a long-term answer under center. A real need, handled.
Max Iheanachor at the 36th overall pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Value said wait; Ja'Kobi Lane in Round 3, Pick 3 says they were not listening. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Devin Moore in No. 102. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Justin Jefferson. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Parker Brailsford is a better player than slot 134 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Kaleb Proctor at slot 175 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A need, and now a little less of one.
Aamil Wagner at the Round 6 slot is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
By-the-book stuff, Ephesians Prysock at the 185th overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Harrison Wallace III at pick 208 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A premium they did not need to pay, Diego Pavia a notch or two before his time. It patches a soft spot without any drama.