B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders found their guy under center in Mendoza: B-.
by aechean ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
The Raiders spent the pick that matters most on Fernando Mendoza, and a roster that has been waiting on a passer can start to take shape.
They will need Barrett to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want. Payne at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 1 they get the face of the franchise at fair value. A real need, handled.
A tidy little value on Denzel Boston in No. 36, a step better than break-even. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Jake Slaughter at pick No. 67. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Harold Perkins Jr.. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
J.C. Davis at the 117th pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Good price on Parker Brailsford in Round 4, Pick 34, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They did well to land Aamil Wagner in the 175th overall pick, just ahead of his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Nice patience on Domani Jackson, who had no business lasting to the Round 6 slot. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
VJ Payne at slot 208 is money in the bank, a safety taken below his worth. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Nick Barrett this early at pick No. 219. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.