2026 NFL Draft Grades: Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders have a new quarterback!

We've known for months that Las Vegas would take Fernando Mendoza at No. 1, but the lack of suspense takes nothing away from the fact the team just landed a franchise QB. The Raiders ranked 30th in QBR over the past two seasons (33.2), with five passers starting at least one game over that time. Geno Smith threw 17 interceptions in 2025. And the team mustered 5.0 yards per dropback, among the four worst in the NFL. But Mendoza changes everything there -- there is suddenly real promise under center.

His rise in 2025 was incredible. He threw 41 touchdown passes en route to an undefeated record, the Heisman Trophy, a national championship and now the No. 1 pick of the draft. Mendoza is very precise with his ball location and can dial up any throw, with a miniscule 7.1% off-target rate. He's going to elevate this offense for coach Klint Kubiak immediately.

There were a lot of strong picks on Day 2 and Day 3, too. Treydan Stukes is a versatile safety who wears a lot of hats. He can stick with receivers in coverage (4.33-second 40-yard dash), he can hit and he can make plays on the ball (four interceptions last season). If not for a torn ACL in 2024 that cost him a chunk of that season and the first few games of 2025, he might have done enough to warrant a first-round pick. Keyron Crawford can bring some depth and juice to the edge rush.

Outside of Mendoza, Round 4 could define the rest of the Raiders' draft class. To kick off Day 3, Las Vegas stopped Jermod McCoy's slide. McCoy was in the conversation for CB1 in the class all season based on his tape and attributes. But he suffered a torn ACL in January 2025, missed the entire season and sat out the combine. I kept him at No. 29 on my board, but it's clear teams weren't comfortable with how the knee was progressing. When healthy, he's excellent and picked off four passes in 2024. But will he get healthy? At this point in the draft, it's worth finding out.

And then Vegas picked Mike Washington Jr. Ashton Jeanty, last year's No. 6 pick, isn't going anywhere, but Washington can bring a speed factor to the table. The 6-1, 223-pound running back ran a scorching 4.33 in the 40 at the combine. Per ESPN Research, it tied for the fastest 40 time over the past 20 combines for players weighing at least 220 pounds (joining DK Metcalf and Isaac Guerendo). He can add a pass-catching factor on third down, too. Getting my RB3 at No. 122 is a win.

I do wonder where the receivers are, though. Las Vegas was working on improving the supporting cast around Mendoza, signing Kirk Cousins as a veteran mentor and Tyler Linderbaum as his new center. But the skill positions left a lot to be desired beyond the team's past two first-round picks, tight end Brock Bowers and Jeanty. Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor are still the top two WRs on the roster. I would have thought Zachariah Branch or Antonio Williams would have been in play in Round 3.

It didn't take a genius to pick QB Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall (sorry, Spytek), but he will obviously define this draft through his ability to lift — or not — this long-suffering franchise out of a decades-long quagmire. But getting players like DB Treydan Stukes (second round), CB Jermod McCoy (fourth) and RB Mike Washington Jr. (fifth) is quite the needed talent infusion — the gamble on McCoy and his highly scrutinized knee atop Round 4 a calculated risk with too much upside to bypass. It's almost like getting the extra first-round pick the Silver and Black sought earlier this year while getting to keep DE Maxx Crosby.

Best Pick: Second-round safety-corner Treydan Stukes will be a big-time player, wherever they use him. He was one of my favorite players in this draft.

Worst Pick: Running back Mike Washington Jr. has some juice to his game, but he doesn't run as physically as some other runners in this draft. Using a fourth-round pick on him wasn't what I would have done.

The Skinny: This draft will be decided by how well quarterback Fernando Mendoza plays in his career. He was the No. 1 overall pick for a reason. He will be good, but he better be. Stukes was a steal and third-round edge Keyron Crawford has some pop.

Armed with the No. 1 overall selection and making 10 total picks, GM John Spytek was well-positioned to turn over the roster in his and head coach Klint Kubiak's vision. But talking about it and doing it are far different things, and I love how this draft unfolded for the Raiders — starting off, of course, with Fernando Mendoza, an ideal schematic and personality match for Las Vegas.

I also loved the instant chemistry that former Arizona teammates Treydan Stukes (No. 38 overall) and Dalton Johnson (No. 150) will add to the Raiders' secondary, as well as the gamble on cornerback Jermod McCoy, whose cloudy medical grades pushed the first-round talent all the way to Day 3. Edge rusher Keyron Crawford has the twitch to serve as a wonderful complement to returning star Maxx Crosby. Similarly, Mike Washington Jr.'s long-strides and breakaway speed make him a wonderful change-of-pace option to last year's top pick, Ashton Jeanty.

I even like late-rounders Hezekiah Masses and Malik Benson, who profile as quality special teams additions, as well as playmakers on offense and defense, respectively. The Raiders desperately needed a roster rebuild and this draft class — one of my very favorites — was a wonderful start.

The Raiders knew for months they were getting the face of their franchise with quarterback Fernando Mendoza, but building the team around him is the hard part.

This defense needed a lot of work and this draft class should give it a massive shot in the arm. Stukes played the slot for Arizona, but his athleticism and range could also make him a standout free safety. Keyron Crawford was late to playing football and is raw against the run, but I really like his quick first step and twitch as a stand-up rusher.

No one knows how things will play out with Jermod McCoy's health, but he was a surefire first round talent. That is well worth taking a swing on in day three. It's clear Ashton Jeanty will lead this run game, but Klint Kubiak will want to keep him fresh. Enter Mike Washington Jr., a bigger back with burst.

Malik Benson gives Fernando Mendoza another vertical target, his sprinting background was obvious on tape in his routes. Finally, Brandon Cleveland is an old-school nose tackle who isn't very athletic and lacks length. That won't stop him from clogging space and taking on body blows to hold the fort against the run.

It will take time, but the Raiders are headed in the right direction under this regime.

Here's why: Las Vegas potentially found a handful of core, long-term players here in the 2026 draft. Fernando Mendoza is a real deal franchise quarterback talent and they took a very sensible swing on the ultra-talented Jermod McCoy in the fourth round. If McCoy's knee holds up, he can very feasibly be the team's future CB1 with the amount of upside and talent that he has. Taking the 25-year-old Treydan Stukes at the top of the second round is the only gamble that knocks this grade out of the "A" range.

Most interesting pick: Mike Washington Jr., RB, Arkansas

Washington is an absolute powerhouse athlete who could form a punishing yet explosive running game alongside Ashton Jeanty and an improved offensive line. If Mendoza hits the ground running with Klint Kubiak, the Raiders will actually have space to run the ball unlike last year. This is a fun pick to try and really blow the roof off of their running game with a big-bodied, big-play threat.

It obviously helps a lot to have the first pick in the draft, but the Raiders knocked their entire draft out of the park. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza was the no-brainer selection for this team at the top of the draft and offers the promise of stability at the quarterback spot for years to come. I liked the Treydan Stukes pick in the early second round, too; the former Arizona standout was a walk-on who rose through the ranks and ended up as a team captain there, showing instincts and ball skills in coverage and fearlessness against the run. Edge rusher Keyron Crawford brings some juice off the edge, and center Trey Zuhn III could compete for a starting role early on. Trading up in the fourth round to take cornerback Jermod McCoy—who fell because of reported concerns around his surgically repaired knee—is easily a risk worth taking at that spot in the draft. And pairing the electric Mike Washington Jr. with Ashton Jeanty gives Las Vegas one of the more exciting running back tandems in the NFL. It wouldn't be too surprising to look back at this draft in a few years and see the start of a real turnaround for the Raiders.

Analysis: This draft is all about Mendoza. The Raiders are staking their future on the Heisman Trophy winner, hoping he can resurrect a franchise that's gone 24 seasons without a playoff win. Last year, Mendoza won the national championship with Indiana, throwing 41 touchdowns. Additionally, general manager John Spytek took a big swing in the fourth round on McCoy, whose knee scared off many teams. However, if healthy (he hasn't played since 2024), the Tennessee corner has first-round talent.