RAIDERS MOCK DRAFT GRADE B-

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Raider4 B-

URL raider4-raiders-5534

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

Mendoza is the Raiders' new face under center. Grade: B-.

by Hawkeye66 · 2026 NFL Draft · 11 picks · 2 steals · 6 reaches
Value C+
Need B
Trades B-
Future B-

There was a run on nobody at that position, and the Raiders started one anyway for Jonathan Jefferson, 201 picks ahead of schedule.

So much rides on Fernando Mendoza that the rest of the class almost grades on a curve behind him. On value alone, Wheatley makes the weekend a net positive.

They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up. The Raiders indulged a want in Wheatley while a need in edge rusher, cornerback and other spots stayed open.

Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.

Pick-by-Pick

R1.1 · Pick 1 · Fernando Mendoza · QB · rank 4
In No. 1 they get a passer to set the clock by. A clean fit for the roster.
R2.4 · Pick 36 · Dillon Thieneman · S · rank 34
A straight-up fair deal on Dillon Thieneman at the Round 2 slot, value and slot in agreement. It adds depth where they could use a little.
R3.3 · Pick 67 · Keylan Rutledge · OG · rank 106
Keylan Rutledge at pick No. 67 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R4.2 · Pick 102 · Harold Perkins Jr. · LB · rank 129
They talked themselves into Harold Perkins Jr. at slot 102, and the board did not agree. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
R4.17 · Pick 117 · Zakee Wheatley · S · rank 85
A want over a need in Round 4, Pick 17: Zakee Wheatley adds a safety while edge rusher, cornerback and other spots keeps waiting.
R4.34 · Pick 134 · Beau Stephens · OG · rank 152
They reached into another round for Beau Stephens, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R5.35 · Pick 175 · Justin Jefferson · LB · rank 193
A big swing on Justin Jefferson at No. 175, well ahead of any board in the building. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
R6.1 · Pick 182 · Kobe Baynes · OG · rank 185
Kobe Baynes at the 182nd overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R6.4 · Pick 185 · Bobby Jamison-Travis · DT · rank 200
They went early on Bobby Jamison-Travis in pick No. 185, and the value did not follow. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R6.27 · Pick 208 · Eric McAlister · WR · rank 186
Eric McAlister at slot 208 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R7.3 · Pick 219 · Jonathan Jefferson · DT · rank 420
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jonathan Jefferson well ahead of where he belonged. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
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