With the 2026 NFL Draft less than a week away, the Las Vegas Raiders have their franchise quarterback locked in.
Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman-winning Indiana star, is the consensus No. 1 overall pick. After a miserable season that left the Silver and Black with the league’s worst record, Mendoza represents the reset button everyone in the Black Hole has been waiting for. But handing him the keys to a broken offense and a leaky defense would be a mistake and could hinder his development. The real work begins the moment the commissioner calls his name.
The Raiders must use their remaining nine picks to build a sustainable winner around him. The three most urgent positional needs are the offensive line, the secondary, and defensive tackle, and all three demand immediate attention. Addressing them is not optional. It is the difference between Mendoza becoming the next great Raider and becoming the next cautionary tale.
Biggest weakness for the Raiders?
Start with the offensive line, the most glaring weakness on the roster entering Mendoza’s era. Last season, the unit ranked 28th in pressure rate allowed and a league-worst 11.1% in sack rate. Right tackle DJ Glaze surrendered 10 sacks on his own, while injuries shredded depth and cohesion. Even with Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson anchoring the left side and center Tyler Linderbaum providing interior stability, the right tackle spot remains a revolving door of mediocrity.
In Klint Kubiak’s scheme, which relies on quick rhythm throws and play-action boots, Mendoza will need clean pockets and a reliable launch point. Without that protection, his elite arm talent and improvisational ability will be neutralized before he can even set his feet. The Raiders must make drafting a plug-and-play right tackle a priority on Day 2 or early Day 3, whether that means selecting a high-floor college tackle or an athletic prospect who can develop on the right side.
Free agency provided marginal help, but the draft is where franchises find long-term solutions. Protect Mendoza now, or watch him spend his rookie contract on the sideline. The trenches win championships, and the Raiders have been losing that war for years.
Addressing the secondary…
The second non-negotiable need is the secondary. While the wide receiver position is stronger than last season’s tape suggested, those issues are better attributed to poor coaching and a mismatched scheme that should resolve under Kubiak with Mendoza at the helm; the back end of the defense remains a foundational flaw. Eric Stokes and Taron Johnson are solid starters at corner, but the group lacks long-term upside and the consistent coverage skills needed to handle modern spread offenses. The safety room, anchored by Isaiah Pola-Mao, still carries troubling questions in man coverage and deep-third responsibility.
Last year, the Raiders ranked near the bottom of the league in pass defense, allowing chunk plays that kept too many drives alive and put undue pressure on an already struggling offense. Mendoza can only do so much if the defense cannot force three-and-outs or generate turnovers.
In today’s pass-heavy NFL, a lockdown corner or versatile safety who can match up in the slot and patrol the deep half would immediately elevate the unit. A Day 2 pick with press-man traits or range would create instant chemistry with the front seven and give coordinator Patrick Graham a legitimate chess piece to deploy in subpackages. Drafting for secondary depth is not luxury shopping. It is basic competence.
A franchise does not select a generational quarterback and then ask the defense to play bend-but-don’t-break football that keeps every game within one score. A fortified secondary creates confidence, shortens opponents’ possessions and gives Mendoza better field position to work with.
The Raiders urgently need a defensive tackle…
Finally, the Raiders must reinforce the defensive tackle position as they transition fully into a 3-4 base under new defensive coordinator influence. The interior line is the weakest unit on the roster. Adam Butler and Jonah Laulu are serviceable, but there is no true nose tackle or disruptive three-technique presence capable of collapsing pockets or stuffing the run in a front that demands size and power up the middle.
Last year, the Raiders ranked third in yards allowed before contact on rushes yet still surrendered too many big plays because the line was consistently moved off the ball. In today’s NFL, a dominant interior presence generates negative plays that force offenses into predictable third-and-longs.
With Maxx Crosby and Kwity Paye bookending the edge, adding a high-motor, gap-shooting tackle such as Domonique Orange or Caleb Banks would transform the entire defensive identity. That addition would also free linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker to run and pursue rather than clean up missed tackles in the hole.
The draft class at defensive tackle is thin at the top, but legitimate value exists in the second and third rounds. Ignoring this need again would leave the defense one-dimensional and vulnerable against balanced offenses capable of running the ball at will.
What are the pundits saying?
Critics will argue the Raiders should chase wide receiver depth instead, and those positions do need attention. Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor offer speed, while Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. flashed potential yet failed to earn meaningful targets last year. Those holes, however, are manageable through mid-round picks and veteran additions once the scheme improves under Kubiak.
The offensive line, secondary and defensive tackle group represent foundational flaws that directly sabotage Mendoza’s development and the defense’s ability to stop both the run and the pass. Addressing those positions is not reaching. It is a strategic necessity. The Raiders enter this draft with the third-most capital overall, which means they can afford to be aggressive, whether that involves trading up slightly for a premium right tackle or targeting an impact defensive back without mortgaging the future.
The Raiders and the upcoming Mendoza Era
The Mendoza era will be defined by how quickly the front office surrounds him with protection, a secondary that can take the ball away and a front that forces opponents into obvious passing situations. Fail to address the offensive line and he will be running for his life. If you fail to upgrade the secondary, the defense remains vulnerable to big plays that keep games close. Fail to bolster the interior defense and the unit stays a liability that cannot control the line of scrimmage.
The Raiders have the No. 1 pick and a clean slate, and they cannot afford to squander it by treating the rest of the roster as an afterthought. This draft is not just about adding talent. It is about building the infrastructure that allows Mendoza to succeed from Day 1. Get the trenches right, fortify the back end and lock down the middle of the defense.
Do that, and the Raiders will not just be competitive in 2026. They will be contenders by 2028. Ignore it, and Mendoza becomes another promising quarterback buried under the weight of a flawed roster. The choice is clear, and the clock is ticking.
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images