B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders bet the future on Mendoza. The board says B-.
by Grumzy ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 4 steals
· 5 reaches
The search is over. The Raiders handed the keys to Fernando Mendoza, and the whole operation now runs on his development.
They banked enough surplus on Everette to cover a lot of smaller sins. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher. It is not that Clark is a bad player; it is that the Raiders had louder needs to answer first.
The Eastern pick is the one the value grade keeps tripping over.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 1 they get their quarterback of the future. A real need, handled.
No edge and no loss on Dillon Thieneman in slot 36; it is a wash and a sensible one. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Lee Hunter at Round 3, Pick 3 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
The board fumbled Daylen Everette all the way to pick No. 108, and they scooped it up. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Bud Clark at safety with edge rusher open.
A premium they did not need to pay, Dametrious Crownover a notch or two before his time. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They reached a country mile for Taylen Green at the 170th pick, and the board is aghast. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Kevin Coleman Jr. in the Round 5 slot. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A reach on VJ Payne in slot 185; the board had better options right there. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
The board had cheaper options than Riley Nowakowski at pick No. 208, and it noticed. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A market-rate running back, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Kaelon Black. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A tidy little value on Eli Heidenreich in the 246th overall pick, a step better than break-even. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Deven Eastern at the 257th pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.