B
Las Vegas Raiders
Mendoza is the plan now, and the Raiders grade out a B.
by ezekiel ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Raiders spent their marquee pick on Fernando Mendoza, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B.
The Ott pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over. Landing Ponds that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.
The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 1 they get their quarterback of the future at fair value. A real need, handled.
Olaivavega Ioane at slot 36 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They robbed the room for D'Angelo Ponds here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They let Germie Bernard come to them and pounced at the Round 3 slot. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid sticker price for DeMonte Capehart in No. 134, and that is fine. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
No edge and no loss on Aamil Wagner in Round 5, Pick 35; it is a wash and a sensible one. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They reached a country mile for Jaydn Ott at pick 185, and the board is aghast. A need, and now a little less of one.
Riley Nowakowski at the 208th overall pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Jalon Daniels at the Round 7 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The roster fit checks out.