Just like that, the 2026 NFL draft has come and gone. With 10 picks in hand, the Las Vegas Raiders had quite the haul. Some selections were as predictable as they come, while others caught the draft community off guard—for better and for worse.
Below, we go pick by pick to assess how general manager John Spytek and company fared on each selection before handing out a grade for the Raiders’ draft class as a whole. The assessment draws from my own board, consensus boards, Las Vegas’ positional needs and the broader context of the draft as a whole.
Let’s get started!
Pick No. 1: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
Grade: A
This was the best pick the Raiders could have possibly made. Las Vegas needed to take a shot at a franchise quarterback, and Mendoza was by far their best option. Taking him first overall was the right call, and the organization delivered. The grade stops short of an A+ simply because the pick carried little mystery. The nature of this draft class rendered any real debate moot well before draft night. A great selection, though ultimately an easy one.
Pick No. 38: Treydan Stukes, DB, Arizona
Grade: C+
I had a fourth-round grade on Stukes, largely because his position at the next level remains unclear. He could be a solid nickel corner, but better options were available at pick 36, including Keionte Scott, Aevion Terrell and D’Angelo Ponds. Beyond the positional uncertainty, it is simply a high investment for a player who may only see the field in certain packages. Worth noting, too, is that the Raiders already addressed nickel back in free agency.
If the plan is to transition Stukes to safety, there are legitimate concerns about his tendency to get beat while staring down the quarterback. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and A.J. Haulcy were also still on the board at that point.
That said, Stukes brings undeniable upside. He is a tremendous athlete who plays with relentless energy, and the hope is that his instincts and technique will develop alongside his physical tools, allowing him to carve out a consistent role. Even so, it is hard to overlook the full picture: he does not yet have a clearly defined position, will enter his rookie season at 24 years old and is coming off an ACL injury suffered in 2024.
Trading down a few spots before making the selection somewhat mitigates the impact of the decision. At the very least, the Raiders have acquired a high-upside defensive back. However, it remains to be seen whether this will be sufficient to justify the choice.
Pick No. 67: Keyron Crawford, EDGE, Auburn
Grade: C-
This is another pick that everyone else seems to like a lot more than I do. Personally, I had Crawford as a fifth-round prospect. He seems like a tweener who does not have the mass or power to play along the line of scrimmage and lacks the coverage skills to play as an outside linebacker. Even looking at consensus boards, where he was considered a late Day 2 pick, this still seems like a bit of a reach. Beyond the positional concerns, better players were available at positions of greater need, including wide receiver (Georgia State’s Ted Hurst), defensive tackle (Missouri’s Chris McClellan) and offensive linemen (Iowa’s Gennings Dunker or Miami’s Markel Bell).
There is some pass-rush upside here, but that is about all you can project right now. At best, Crawford profiles as a designated pass rusher who comes in on third downs. There is a path where he bulks up and develops enough against the run to be a three-down player, but that is the kind of projection you make for someone who comes off the board 40 picks later than where the Raiders selected him.
Pick No. 91: Tre Zuhn III, OL, Texas A&M
Grade: C+
Zuhn is another prospect I had a fifth-round grade on, the same grade I assigned Alex Leatherwood back in 2021. The reasons are similar. Both are big, mauling tackles who will likely need to move inside at the next level because they struggle to hold their own in one-on-one situations. Zuhn could develop into a solid starting guard by his second or third year if the Raiders bring him along correctly, but that also represents his ceiling.
One saving grace is that, unlike Leatherwood, the Raiders announced Zuhn as a guard, signaling their intent to move him inside from the start. If he develops into a long-term starter at the position, the pick will look reasonable. Still, this selection would have been far easier to justify had it come about 30 picks later. It is also difficult to understand taking Zuhn over Gennings Dunker of Iowa or Caleb Tiernan of Northwestern, both of whom appear to be stronger versions of the same archetype: a versatile offensive lineman capable of cracking a starting five at multiple spots.
Pick No. 101: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
Grade: A+
Knowing what we know now about his knee, it makes more sense why a consensus top-20 prospect slid to Day 3. Even so, McCoy falling this far is difficult to believe. Once he did, the Raiders made a savvy and prudent move by trading up to grab him. The aggressiveness to take a big swing on a high-upside player at a position of need is easy to appreciate. Even if McCoy never plays a down in the NFL, the gamble was worth taking. If he is fully healthy and able to build on an excellent sophomore season, Las Vegas may have found its new No. 1 cornerback.
Pick No. 122: Mike Washington Jr., RB, Arkansas
Grade: B-
Washington was my sixth-ranked running back, graded right in this range, and there is plenty to like about him. His combination of burst, power and long speed makes him a home-run threat every time he touches the ball, which is exactly what you want from a No. 2 running back. The concern, however, is scheme fit. Washington is a classic one-cut, downhill back who may lack the lateral quickness to thrive in Klint Kubiak’s zone-running system. UTSA’s Robert Henry Jr. would have been the preferred pick here, though he went undrafted, so perhaps that evaluation needs revisiting.
Pick No. 150: Dalton Johnson, DB, Arizona
Grade: D
If Johnson is not a familiar name, that is likely because he was the third-best nickel safety on his own college team, which does not lend itself to heavy draft coverage. The pick is puzzling regardless. Johnson profiles as a seventh-round talent at best, the kind of player you hope develops into a core special teamer. Spending a fifth-round pick on that projection is a poor use of resources, particularly with quality defensive backs still available. In the very next 10 selections, Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley, Arizona State cornerback Keith Abney II and Texas safety Michael Taaffe all came off the board, each of whom would have made considerably more sense. Fifth-round picks are not easy to waste, but this one comes close.
Pick No. 175: Hezekiah Masses, CB, Cal
Grade: B+
This one was mocked just days before the draft, same pick number and all. Masses may not have the physical tools to be a quality starter at the next level, but he unquestionably knows how to play the cornerback position. Perhaps too much stock is being placed on measurables and not enough on his tape, which is quite good. Worst case, the Raiders get a reliable backup corner who will not be a liability when called upon.
Pick No. 195: Malik Benson, WR, Oregon
Grade: C+
Getting 4.3 speed in the sixth round is never a bad thing, and Benson’s most immediate value figures to come in the return game. On offense, however, it is difficult to envision a significant role for him, particularly on a Raiders roster that already has two solid, speedy receivers in Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor. This pick feels like Las Vegas prioritizing a return specialist. If Benson wins one of those jobs, which is no guarantee given the speed already on the roster, that qualifies as a solid selection at this stage of the draft.
Pick No. 229: Brandon Cleveland, DT, NC State
Grade: C
Cleveland projects as a potentially solid rotational defensive tackle with a knack for getting penetration. The concern is that he fits the same mold as the other defensive tackles already on the roster, and it would have been nice to see Las Vegas target a space-eating, roadblock-type interior lineman here, such as Alabama’s Tim Keenan. Still, Cleveland’s physical tools offer legitimate upside, and that is about all you can ask for from a seventh-round pick.
Overall Grade: B-
Las Vegas addressed several key needs, most notably the biggest one of all: a quarterback. The Raiders also made a smart low-risk, high-reward pick on Day 3 that could prove to be one of the better selections in this entire draft class. That said, they did not maximize the value of all 10 picks, as several reaches on questionable fits left something on the board. Regardless, Las Vegas seemingly got better in this draft, particularly when projecting two or three years down the road.
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*Top Photo: Getty Images