B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders bet the future on Mendoza. The board says B-.
by Grumzy ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 6 steals
· 1 reaches
The Raiders spent the pick that matters most on Fernando Mendoza, and a roster that has been waiting on a passer can start to take shape. Good, not great, and the B- says as much.
The Raiders indulged a want in Clark while a need in edge rusher stayed open. That is a cornerback worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
Reaching for Black left real value on the table behind him.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
Fernando Mendoza at the 1st pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Value with a capital V on Dillon Thieneman in the 36th overall pick, a genuine coup. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Lee Hunter in pick 67 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Steal is underselling it; Daylen Everette at No. 102 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went safety with Bud Clark while clear needs at edge rusher sat open.
Will Lee III in slot 134 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A clean, defensible pick in the Round 5 slot with a little surplus value in Reggie Virgil. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Ar'maj Reed-Adams at pick No. 185. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Value said wait; Kaelon Black in pick No. 208 says they were not listening. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
No edge and no loss on Riley Nowakowski in No. 219; it is a wash and a sensible one. It fills a real need, too.