B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders found their guy under center in Mendoza: B-.
by [email protected] ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
They finally answered the question that shadows every other one. Fernando Mendoza is the Raiders' quarterback, full stop.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Bernard. Every board in the league had Black lower, and that gap is the story.
Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 1 they get the arm they will build around at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Chris Brazzell II in the Round 2 slot. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They will replay Lee Hunter at pick 67 for years; that is how good the value is. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Circle this one: Germie Bernard at the 102nd overall pick is a fall that decides a draft. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jude Bowry at the 117th pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Harold Perkins Jr. in No. 134 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Kaelon Black in slot 175 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Domani Jackson in pick No. 185. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Toriano Pride Jr. at the 208th pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A tidy little value on Riley Nowakowski in the Round 7 slot, a step better than break-even. It fills a real need, too.