B-
Las Vegas Raiders
A franchise passer in Mendoza headlines a B- weekend for the Raiders.
by milldi D ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
After circling the position for what felt like forever, the Raiders committed. Fernando Mendoza is the quarterback now, and the roster gets built to his timeline. More right than wrong, and a B- to match.
Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Stukes. The cost of the Altmyer reach is exactly the players who went right after him. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 1st overall pick they get the face of the franchise. A clean fit for the roster.
They went early on Lee Hunter in the 36th pick, and the value did not follow. The roster fit checks out.
The board had Germie Bernard higher than Round 3, Pick 3, and the wide receiver fell to them anyway. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Logan Jones in pick No. 102. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Taking Treydan Stukes in pick 117 is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Fair-plus on Jude Bowry, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Nothing to complain about; Bryce Boettcher went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A minor itch, scratched.
They paid sticker price for Ephesians Prysock in the Round 6 slot, and that is fine. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Kaelon Black at Round 6, Pick 27 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They reached a country mile for Luke Altmyer at pick No. 219, and the board is aghast. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.