F
Las Vegas Raiders
Mendoza is the Raiders' new face under center. Grade: F.
by Savelv ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 19 picks
· 5 steals
· 4 reaches
The Raiders did not so much draft Latrell McCutchin Sr. as overpay for him, 32 picks clear of his grade. It sets an uneasy tone for the weekend.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. Everything downstream of Fernando Mendoza depends on Fernando Mendoza, and the building knows it. They will regret leaving tight end for another day if the season turns on it.
That is a wide receiver worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers.
There is no soft landing here: they fought the board and left tight end open, and the grade is the bill.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 2 they get their quarterback of the future. A clean fit for the roster.
In Round 1, Pick 5 they get a building block for the line at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In slot 24 they get a downhill thumper at linebacker at a price that makes it sweeter. Need was not the driver here.
Akheem Mesidor in the 36th pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They took Caleb Banks at par in the Round 2 slot, which is nothing to complain about. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Good price on Keionte Scott in pick No. 67, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A tidy bit of business in Round 4, Pick 2, where Skyler Bell graded well above the range. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Ja'Kobi Lane at No. 108 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the wide receiver. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They read the board right and Jalen Farmer was the payoff at the 117th pick. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Caleb Douglas in pick No. 170. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid sticker price for Domani Jackson in pick 175, and that is fine. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
VJ Payne at the 179th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A minor need, but a need all the same.
By-the-book stuff, Ephesians Prysock at the Round 6 slot squarely in line with his ranking. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Anez Cooper slid further than he should have, and slot 193 is lovely value for the offensive lineman. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Latrell McCutchin Sr. in slot 200 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They talked themselves into Robert Spears-Jennings at the 208th overall pick, and the board did not agree. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Fair-plus on Le'Veon Moss, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. It fills a real need, too.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Zavion Thomas at the 248th pick. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Miller Moss in pick No. 250 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.