B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders left with their quarterback, and a B- to match.
by Grumzy ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 4 steals
· 4 reaches
Start where it matters. The Raiders took Fernando Mendoza to run the offense for the next decade, and every other decision this weekend bends around that one.
The Rodriguez value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
It is not that McNeil-Warren is a bad player; it is that the Raiders had louder needs to answer first.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 1 they get their quarterback of the future. A clean fit for the roster.
Dillon Thieneman at Round 2, Pick 4 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren adds a safety and leaves edge rusher and offensive lineman untouched.
Steal is underselling it; Jacob Rodriguez at slot 102 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Somehow Treydan Stukes was still sitting there in No. 117, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Chris McClellan at the 134th pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Reggie Virgil in the 175th overall pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
The board had cheaper options than VJ Payne at the Round 6 slot, and it noticed. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
A reach on Riley Nowakowski in No. 208; the board had better options right there. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A premium they did not need to pay, Noah Whittington a notch or two before his time. A need, and now a little less of one.