B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders found their guy under center in Mendoza: B-.
by Me ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 5 steals
· 0 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Raiders spent their marquee pick on Fernando Mendoza, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. A dependable weekend that grades out a B-.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Hecht. For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain. They went 6 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 1 they get a passer to set the clock by. A real need, handled.
They took Omar Cooper Jr. at par in pick No. 36, which is nothing to complain about. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Lee Hunter in the Round 3 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Somehow Daylen Everette was still sitting there in the 102nd pick, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They will replay Sam Hecht at No. 117 for years; that is how good the value is. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Value with a capital V on Will Lee III in pick 134, a genuine coup. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Ar'maj Reed-Adams at the 175th overall pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A tidy little value on Keagen Trost in Round 6, Pick 4, a step better than break-even. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A straight-up fair deal on Kaelon Black at the 208th pick, value and slot in agreement. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Jadon Canady in pick No. 219. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.