B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders answered their biggest question with Mendoza. Grade: B-.
by Grumzy ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 4 reaches
The search is over. The Raiders handed the keys to Fernando Mendoza, and the whole operation now runs on his development.
Every board in the league had Black lower, and that gap is the story. Getting Haulcy where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. Spending an early pick on safety with edge rusher and offensive lineman open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 1 they get a passer to set the clock by. A clean fit for the roster.
They paid sticker price for Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the Round 2 slot, and that is fine. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking A.J. Haulcy at safety with edge rusher and offensive lineman open.
They let Ted Hurst come to them and pounced at the 102nd pick. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Gracen Halton at Round 4, Pick 17 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Will Lee III at the 134th overall pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
J'Mari Taylor at No. 175 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Kaelon Black in slot 185 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A need, and now a little less of one.
The board had cheaper options than Riley Nowakowski at slot 208, and it noticed. The roster fit checks out.
Landon Robinson at pick No. 219 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.