C+
Las Vegas Raiders
Mendoza is the Raiders' new face under center. Grade: C+.
by [email protected] ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 3 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. It washes out to a C+, no better and no worse.
The Llewellyn reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. The Roush pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged.
Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers. They went 8 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Not a disaster, not a triumph, just a middling class.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get their quarterback of the future. A real need, handled.
Kayden McDonald in Round 1, Pick 19 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A straight-up fair deal on Omar Cooper Jr. at the 36th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid up for Daylen Everette at the 67th pick when waiting would have done the job. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board had Sam Roush higher than No. 102, and the tight end fell to them anyway. The roster fit checks out.
De'Zhaun Stribling at pick 117 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Max Llewellyn well ahead of where he belonged. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They did well to land Jude Bowry in pick No. 134, just ahead of his grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They liked Seth McGowan enough to skip the value, taking him in slot 175. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.