B-
Las Vegas Raiders
Mendoza is the Raiders' new face under center. Grade: B-.
by [email protected] ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 0 steals
· 4 reaches
After circling the position for what felt like forever, the Raiders committed. Fernando Mendoza is the quarterback now, and the roster gets built to his timeline. It does the job without flash, and the B- reflects it.
Canady has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. They punted on tight end, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. They went 7 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
The offense got the lion's share of the attention.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
Fernando Mendoza at slot 1 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A premium they did not need to pay, Max Iheanachor a notch or two before his time. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Good price on Zachariah Branch in the 67th pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They took Bud Clark at par in the 102nd overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Julian Neal at No. 117 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Max Llewellyn well ahead of where he belonged. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Bryce Boettcher in pick No. 175. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Value said wait; Jadon Canady in the Round 6 slot says they were not listening. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
No edge and no loss on Bobby Jamison-Travis in the 208th overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jaydn Ott in the Round 7 slot is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. The roster fit checks out.