B-
Las Vegas Raiders
Mendoza is the Raiders' new face under center. Grade: B-.
by Grumzy ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Raiders spent No. 219 on Roman Hemby, a name the board had a full 135 spots lower.
So much rides on Fernando Mendoza that the rest of the class almost grades on a curve behind him. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
On value alone, Ponds makes the weekend a net positive.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
Fernando Mendoza in No. 1 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It fills a real need, too.
By-the-book stuff, Omar Cooper Jr. at the 36th pick squarely in line with his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Somehow D'Angelo Ponds was still sitting there in pick No. 67, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A straight-up fair deal on Darrell Jackson Jr. at Round 4, Pick 2, value and slot in agreement. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Value with a capital V on Genesis Smith in the Round 4 slot, a genuine coup. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A reach for Dametrious Crownover in slot 134; a little patience would have been rewarded. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid a round early for Taylen Green in the 175th pick, more than the board wanted. The roster fit checks out.
No drama and no debate, VJ Payne went about where he belonged in slot 185. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
They talked themselves into Riley Nowakowski at the 208th overall pick, and the board did not agree. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Roman Hemby this early at pick 219. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.