Cuda21'S MOCK DRAFT
  1. Home
  2. Simulator

2026 Raiders, baby!

  • Cuda21 DRAFTING FOR THE
    Raiders
Draft Selections
Fernando Mendoza Head Shot
PICK: 1 RND: 1 (LV)
Fernando Mendoza
QB Indiana
Caleb Lomu Head Shot
PICK: 26 RND: 1 (LV)
Caleb Lomu
OT Utah
Omar Cooper Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 67 RND: 3 (LV)
Omar Cooper Jr.
WR Indiana
Zachariah Branch Head Shot
PICK: 68 RND: 3 (LV)
Zachariah Branch
WR Georgia
DeMonte Capehart Head Shot
PICK: 117 RND: 4 (LV)
DeMonte Capehart
DT Clemson
Jalon Kilgore Head Shot
PICK: 134 RND: 4 (LV)
Jalon Kilgore
CB South Carolina
Kaleb Elarms-Orr Head Shot
PICK: 175 RND: 5 (LV)
Kaleb Elarms-Orr
LB TCU
Ephesians Prysock Head Shot
PICK: 182 RND: 6 (LV)
Ephesians Prysock
CB Washington
Eric McAlister Head Shot
PICK: 185 RND: 6 (LV)
Eric McAlister
WR TCU
Trey Zuhn III Head Shot
PICK: 208 RND: 6 (LV)
Trey Zuhn III
OT Texas A&M
TJ Hall Head Shot
PICK: 219 RND: 7 (LV)
TJ Hall
CB Iowa
Draft Picks Received
Caleb Lomu Head Shot
PICK: 26 RND: 1 (BUF)
Caleb Lomu
OT Utah
Zachariah Branch Head Shot
PICK: 68 RND: 3 (PHI)
Zachariah Branch
WR Georgia
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (BUF)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Garrett Nussmeier Head Shot
PICK: 36 RND: 2 (PIT)
Garrett Nussmeier
QB LSU
Genesis Smith Head Shot
PICK: 102 RND: 4 (PHI)
Genesis Smith
S Arizona
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 2 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Players traded away
Head Shot
Albert Okwuegbunam
TE
Head Shot
Delmar Glaze
C
Draft Grade — Raiders
Overall C
ValueB- NeedB TradesF FutureC
A passer of the future in Mendoza, and a C, for the Raiders.

The Raiders spent the pick that matters most on Fernando Mendoza, and a roster that has been waiting on a passer can start to take shape. For now it grades a C, with the swing picks left to settle the rest.

The cost of the Zuhn III reach is exactly the players who went right after him. The trades bled value they could not afford to lose.

A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want. The Kilgore pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch.

In the end, one you will need a couple of seasons to truly judge.

Pick Analysis
Pick1 Rnd1 Fernando Mendoza
In slot 1 they get their guy under center for the next decade. A clean fit for the roster.
Pick26 Rnd1 Caleb Lomu
In the Round 1 slot they get protection for the quarterback at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Pick67 Rnd3 Omar Cooper Jr.
They let Omar Cooper Jr. come to them and pounced at the 67th overall pick. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick68 Rnd3 Zachariah Branch
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Zachariah Branch in Round 3, Pick 4. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick117 Rnd4 DeMonte Capehart
DeMonte Capehart at pick 117 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick134 Rnd4 Jalon Kilgore
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Jalon Kilgore at No. 134 is the proof. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick175 Rnd5 Kaleb Elarms-Orr
Kaleb Elarms-Orr in pick No. 175 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Pick182 Rnd6 Ephesians Prysock
They paid sticker price for Ephesians Prysock in the 182nd pick, and that is fine. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick185 Rnd6 Eric McAlister
By-the-book stuff, Eric McAlister at the Round 6 slot squarely in line with his ranking. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick208 Rnd6 Trey Zuhn III
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Trey Zuhn III well ahead of where he belonged. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick219 Rnd7 TJ Hall
A straight-up fair deal on TJ Hall at the 219th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.