F
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders finally solved quarterback, and it carried them to a F.
by Cashydemon ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 19 picks
· 1 steals
· 13 reaches
The Raiders put a flag in the ground for E.J. Williams Jr., 193 picks before anyone else would have, and the value took the hit.
The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. So much rides on Fernando Mendoza that the rest of the class almost grades on a curve behind him. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up.
However the rest shakes out, Bell at that price is a win they earned.
There is no soft landing here: they fought the board and left edge rusher open, and the grade is the bill.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 1 they get a passer to set the clock by at fair value.
Keith Abney II in the Round 2 slot is fair value, right on his grade. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Kage Casey at pick No. 67 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A big swing on Red Murdock at No. 108, well ahead of any board in the building. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Somehow Skyler Bell was still sitting there in slot 111, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Seth McGowan in the 134th overall pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It fills a real need, too.
Value said wait; John Michael Gyllenborg in the 175th overall pick says they were not listening. A need, and now a little less of one.
They reached a country mile for Khalil Dinkins at No. 177, and the board is aghast. The roster fit checks out.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jalen Huskey this early at slot 185. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They reached into another round for Namdi Obiazor, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
A tidy little value on Tyren Montgomery in pick No. 218, a step better than break-even. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Chase Roberts at pick 219 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They paid sticker price for Dane Key in Round 7, Pick 13, and that is fine. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A wild overpay on Marcus Allen in the Round 7 slot, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for E.J. Williams Jr.. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Roman Hemby at No. 235 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They talked themselves into Travis Burke at pick 244, and the board did not agree. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A real head-scratcher, Zen Michalski in pick No. 250 is miles ahead of his ranking. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Gary Smith III in slot 257, miles early. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.