B-
Las Vegas Raiders
A franchise passer in Mendoza headlines a B- weekend for the Raiders.
by Grumzy ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 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. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B-.
The Orange steal is the beam this whole class leans on. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. Taylor has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 1 they get the face of the franchise. A clean fit for the roster.
Good price on Denzel Boston in the Round 2 slot, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They took Zachariah Branch at par in Round 3, Pick 3, which is nothing to complain about. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A interior defensive lineman of that caliber at slot 102 is the definition of value, full stop. A need, and now a little less of one.
Nice patience on Bud Clark, who had no business lasting to No. 117. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Will Lee III at the 134th pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They reached a country mile for J'Mari Taylor at the 175th overall pick, and the board is aghast. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They jumped the gun on VJ Payne, taking him earlier than his grade liked. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
A wild overpay on Kaelon Black in slot 208, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
By-the-book stuff, Riley Nowakowski at the 219th pick squarely in line with his ranking. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.