B-
Las Vegas Raiders
Mendoza is the plan now, and the Raiders grade out a B-.
by skaarman ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 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. It nets out to a B-, which feels about right.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up. They will need Everette to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. The roster is better shaped than it was, with cornerback chief among the fixes.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 1 they get the face of the franchise at fair value.
No drama and no debate, Omar Cooper Jr. went about where he belonged in No. 36. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They jumped the gun on Daylen Everette, taking him earlier than his grade liked. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A straight-up fair deal on Darrell Jackson Jr. at pick No. 102, value and slot in agreement. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Jude Bowry at the Round 4 slot is a conviction pick that outran the value. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A conviction pick on Kaytron Allen at the 134th overall pick that the board grades a round light. A need, and now a little less of one.
DJ Campbell at slot 175 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Ephesians Prysock at pick 185 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jadon Canady in Round 6, Pick 27 is fair value, right on his grade. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Keyshaun Elliott at pick 219 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A minor need, but a need all the same.