B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders drew a line under the quarterback search with Mendoza: B-.
by Raiderstace ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 1 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. More right than wrong, and a B- to match.
The Hurst steal is the beam this whole class leans on. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 1st pick they get their guy under center for the next decade. A clean fit for the roster.
Emmanuel Pregnon in the 36th overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They robbed the room for Caleb Banks here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Nothing to complain about; Treydan Stukes went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Ted Hurst in the Round 4 slot, plain and simple. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Dametrious Crownover at Round 4, Pick 34 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They took Zane Durant at par in No. 175, which is nothing to complain about. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
The board had Aamil Wagner higher than pick 185, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid sticker price for Toriano Pride Jr. in the Round 6 slot, and that is fine. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Noah Whittington at the 219th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A need, and now a little less of one.