B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders bet the future on Mendoza. The board says B-.
by skaarman ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 0 steals
· 3 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Raiders spent their marquee pick on Fernando Mendoza, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback.
The Wagner pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain.
They left with cornerback solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 1 they get their guy under center for the next decade at fair value. A real need, handled.
By-the-book stuff, Omar Cooper Jr. at the Round 2 slot squarely in line with his ranking. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Daylen Everette at the 67th pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A tidy little value on Darrell Jackson Jr. in pick No. 102, a step better than break-even. A need, and now a little less of one.
No edge and no loss on Mike Washington Jr. in No. 117; it is a wash and a sensible one. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A real head-scratcher, Aamil Wagner in pick 134 is miles ahead of his ranking. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They talked themselves into Justin Jefferson at Round 5, Pick 35, and the board did not agree. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.