A-
Las Vegas Raiders
Nobody dealt better than the Raiders this weekend: A-.
by Fins1981 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 27 picks
· 10 steals
· 7 reaches
Call it a hunch or call it a gamble, but the Raiders spent pick 201 on Logan Fano, a name most had 54 spots down the list.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. Getting Lew where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
In short, they turned a good board into a better roster, and it shows.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 20 they get a go-to option on the outside at a price that makes it sweeter. The biggest hole, addressed.
Omar Cooper Jr. in pick 40 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid sticker price for Zachariah Branch in the Round 2 slot, and that is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Eli Stowers at slot 67 is the proof. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Keionte Scott at No. 79 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Taking Connor Lew in the 89th pick is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Devin Moore in the Round 3 slot is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A clean, defensible pick in the 102nd overall pick with a little surplus value in Darrell Jackson Jr.. A need, and now a little less of one.
Mason Reiger at Round 4, Pick 8 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Nicholas Singleton at pick No. 112 is money in the bank, a running back taken below his worth. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Michael Trigg in pick 116. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A tidy little value on Mike Washington Jr. in No. 120, a step better than break-even. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A reasonable price with a little left over, DeMonte Capehart in slot 134. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Fair-plus on Isaiah World, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
The board had Dametrious Crownover higher than pick No. 155, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They did well to land Febechi Nwaiwu in slot 175, just ahead of his grade. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A tidy bit of business in the 182nd overall pick, where Kaleb Elarms-Orr graded well above the range. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Jeff Caldwell in Round 6, Pick 4 is fair value, right on his grade. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Value with a capital V on Taylen Green in the Round 6 slot, a genuine coup. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They reached a country mile for Logan Fano at No. 201, and the board is aghast. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
No edge and no loss on Jimmy Rolder in the 208th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
The board had cheaper options than Charles Demmings at pick 219, and it noticed. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Xavier Nwankpa slid further than he should have, and the Round 7 slot is lovely value for the safety. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They went early on Robert Spears-Jennings in pick 246, and the value did not follow. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
They took Nolan Rucci at par in the 249th pick, which is nothing to complain about. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid a round early for Tristan Leigh in slot 256, more than the board wanted. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A real head-scratcher, Joshua Braun in No. 257 is miles ahead of his ranking. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.