A-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders turned the phones into found money: A-.
by Fins1981 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 21 picks
· 9 steals
· 6 reaches
The Raiders spent real capital to be 118 picks early on Marvin Jones Jr., and the board is going to hold them to it. The sum of the weekend is a deserved A-.
That Slaughter pick is the receipt they will wave around later. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class.
It is a haul that will look even better come September.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 18th pick they get a centerpiece for the ground game at a price that makes it sweeter. A clean fit for the roster.
Omar Cooper Jr. at Round 2, Pick 4 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Joshua Josephs in slot 44 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
LT Overton at pick No. 49 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A tight end of that caliber at pick 78 is the definition of value, full stop. The roster fit checks out.
They will replay Jake Slaughter at the Round 3 slot for years; that is how good the value is. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Circle this one: Jacob Rodriguez at the 95th pick is a fall that decides a draft. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Ted Hurst in No. 97 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Daylen Everette in pick 102 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Bryce Lance at pick No. 115 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid sticker price for Michael Trigg in slot 117, and that is fine. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Nice patience on Tacario Davis, who had no business lasting to Round 4, Pick 25. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They took Kaleb Proctor at par in the Round 4 slot, which is nothing to complain about. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Febechi Nwaiwu at the 175th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
No drama and no debate, Jeff Caldwell went about where he belonged in pick 185. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They let Taylen Green come to them and pounced at the 196th overall pick. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Owen Heinecke in the Round 6 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
They talked themselves into Isaiah Jatta at pick No. 211, and the board did not agree. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Nolan Rucci at the 212th pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They reached a country mile for Marvin Jones Jr. at Round 7, Pick 3, and the board is aghast. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Adam Randall at slot 253 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A need, and now a little less of one.