RAIDERS MOCK DRAFT GRADE B-

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NewDirection1 B-

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Letter grade with a four-component score, written analysis, and a pick-by-pick breakdown for every selection in this saved mock.

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B-

Las Vegas Raiders

Quarterback settled, Mendoza in the fold, and a B- for the Raiders.

by Grumzy · 2026 NFL Draft · 12 picks · 1 steals · 4 reaches
Value B-
Need B
Trades B-
Future B-

The Raiders clearly saw something nobody else did in Kalil Alexander, taking him 93 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B-.

Whatever Fernando Mendoza becomes, the front office has tied its fortunes to the answer. Landing Boettcher that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. It is not that Smith is a bad player; it is that the Raiders had louder needs to answer first.

They covered a lot of ground and still skipped running back, which is a strange place to end up.

In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the running back spot they never got to.

Pick-by-Pick

R1.1 · Pick 1 · Fernando Mendoza · QB · rank 4
Fernando Mendoza in the 1st pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R2.4 · Pick 36 · Dillon Thieneman · S · rank 34
No drama and no debate, Dillon Thieneman went about where he belonged in the Round 2 slot. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
R3.3 · Pick 67 · Zachariah Branch · WR · rank 60
A clean, defensible pick in No. 67 with a little surplus value in Zachariah Branch. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R4.2 · Pick 102 · Genesis Smith · S · rank 97
A want over a need in the 102nd overall pick: Genesis Smith adds a safety while running back keeps waiting.
R4.17 · Pick 117 · Jalon Kilgore · CB · rank 119
By-the-book stuff, Jalon Kilgore at Round 4, Pick 17 squarely in line with his ranking. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R4.34 · Pick 134 · J.C. Davis · OT · rank 134
J.C. Davis in slot 134 is fair value, right on his grade. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R5.35 · Pick 175 · Taylen Green · QB · rank 181
No edge and no loss on Taylen Green in the 175th overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
R6.4 · Pick 185 · Bryce Boettcher · LB · rank 165
Bryce Boettcher at No. 185 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
R6.16 · Pick 197 · Kalil Alexander · LB-EDGE · rank 290
A real head-scratcher, Kalil Alexander in pick No. 197 is miles ahead of his ranking. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R6.27 · Pick 208 · George Gumbs Jr. · DE-EDGE · rank 272
This one needs a full-page explanation: George Gumbs Jr. in the Round 6 slot, miles early. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R7.3 · Pick 219 · Riley Nowakowski · TE · rank 273
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Riley Nowakowski well ahead of where he belonged. The roster fit checks out.
R7.15 · Pick 231 · Nick Barrett · DL · rank 259
Nick Barrett at the 231st pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
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