B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders bet the future on Mendoza. The board says B-.
by skaarman ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 4 reaches
Call it belief, call it a gut call, but Trey Zuhn III at pick No. 185 is 61 spots clear of consensus, and that is the headline.
The whole projection now runs through Fernando Mendoza; hit there and everything else looks smarter. On value alone, Elarms-Orr makes the weekend a net positive.
The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 1 they get their guy under center for the next decade at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
A conviction pick on Blake Miller at pick 36 that the board grades a round light. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Christen Miller slipping to the 67th pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A clean, defensible pick in the 102nd overall pick with a little surplus value in Ja'Kobi Lane. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Treydan Stukes in slot 117 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They went early on Kaytron Allen in No. 134, and the value did not follow. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They reached a country mile for VJ Payne at pick 175, and the board is aghast. A minor itch, scratched.
They talked themselves into Trey Zuhn III at No. 185, and the board did not agree. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They will replay Kaleb Elarms-Orr at the 208th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Keyshaun Elliott in the 219th pick is fair value, right on his grade. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.