B+
Las Vegas Raiders
A franchise passer in Mendoza headlines a B+ weekend for the Raiders.
by ezekiel ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 10 steals
· 0 reaches
Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Raiders were there to profit. David Bailey, the No. 5 name on the board, should have been long gone before pick No. 175. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B+.
They have staked the next five years on Fernando Mendoza, which is the only story that really matters here. The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend.
They will regret leaving running back for another day if the season turns on it. The roster is better shaped than it was, with edge rusher chief among the fixes.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the running back spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 2nd overall pick they get their quarterback of the future. A real need, handled.
In Round 1, Pick 16 they get a press-man option on the boundary, outstanding value to boot. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They barely believed it either: Jordyn Tyson still on the board at the Round 2 slot. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Somehow Kayden McDonald was still sitting there in pick 67, and they pounced on premier interior defensive lineman value. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
The board fumbled Spencer Fano all the way to pick No. 102, and they scooped it up. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jermod McCoy at slot 117 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the 134th overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
David Bailey at No. 175 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
You do not let a wide receiver like Antonio Williams reach Round 6, Pick 4 and blink. They did not. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Lee Hunter in the 208th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Steal is underselling it; Chase Bisontis at pick No. 219 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.