B
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders answered their biggest question with Mendoza. Grade: B.
by RaiderRich ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 4 steals
· 3 reaches
The Max Bredeson pick is the one that will follow the Raiders into the fall. They took him 152 spots ahead of his grade, and the board is not shy about saying so.
Fernando Mendoza is the bet, and the class will be judged on how it pays off. Leaving running back unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
The Trotter pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but running back.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 1st pick they get their guy under center for the next decade at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
They let Dillon Thieneman come to them and pounced at the 36th overall pick. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Value with a capital V on Josiah Trotter in No. 77, a genuine coup. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They paid sticker price for Skyler Bell in pick No. 87, and that is fine. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Malik Muhammad at pick 116 is the proof. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They paid up for Gracen Halton at the Round 4 slot when waiting would have done the job. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Nadame Tucker at pick No. 134 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They read the board right and Jaeden Roberts was the payoff at pick 159. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Max Bredeson at the 208th overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.