Why Raiders made the biggest mistake of 2026 NFL Draft

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Why Raiders made the biggest mistake of 2026 NFL Draft

Tim Crean, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Thu, Apr 30, 2026 ·

4 min read

The Raiders did not give Fernando Mendoza enough support in the 2026 NFL Draft

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Over the course of three days, the Raiders made 10 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft . They got their franchise QB in Mendoza, then made some excellent picks afterward. Taking Tennessee cornerback and predicted first-round pick Jermod McCoy at the start of Round 4 may have been the steal of the entire weekend.

However, when you look at the balance of the picks over the three days, you'll notice that general manager John Spytek focused more on one side of the ball. Of the Raiders' 10 picks, only four of them—including Mendoza—were on offense, while the other six were on defense.

Now, the Raiders' defense absolutely needed the influx of talent. Looking at their current roster in terms of 2025 PFF grades, Maxx Crosby was the 15th-ranked edge rusher , and Eric Stokes was the 17th-ranked corner. Every other player was ranked 38th or worse at their position, and eight were 80th or higher.

Despite the decided lack of talent, the Raiders' defense was actually surprisingly stout, statistically. They were 25th in points allowed, but also 14th in yards allowed. That's certainly not great, but it's not as bad as you'd think for a team that ended up with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

A good defense helps the offense in the NFL. There is no doubt about that. Still, when you draft a franchise quarterback No. 1 overall, surrounding him with talent and players to grow with has to be the top priority. That's where the Raiders made a massive mistake in the draft.

After Mendoza, the offensive players that the Raiders selected were Texas A&M offensive lineman Trey Zuhn III in Round 3, Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr. in Round 4, and Texas wide receiver Malik Benson in Round 6.

Zuhn makes a ton of sense. He is a versatile offensive lineman who can back up all five O-line positions and possibly even start at left guard. After that, it gets a bit murky. Washington was the consensus RB3 in this draft. He has incredible size and speed at 6-foot-1, 223 pounds, and a 4.33-second 40 time. This was a solid value pick in Round 4, but with last year's first-round selection Ashton Jeanty in the mix, Washington will be a change-of-pace back at best.

The Raiders also waited until Round 6 to address their biggest need: wide receiver. The current Las Vegas depth chart at wideout is Jack Bech , Tre Tucker , Jalen Nailor , Dont'e Thornton Jr., and Dareke Young . That fivesome combined for 118 catches last season. For context, that would put them fifth in the league last year if they were one player, right between Amon-Ra St. Brown (117 catches) and Jaxson Smith-Njigba (119).

Benson is an intriguing late-round prospect. At 6 feet, 189 pounds, he has elite track speed (because of course he does as a Raiders draft pick) and good ball skills. However, after lighting it up at Hutchinson Community College for two seasons, stints at Alabama, Florida State, and Oregon failed to truly move the needle.

While Benson does have potential, he doesn't have the profile of a rookie WR who is going to help his quarterback on a down-to-down basis right away. And even though this wasn't the deepest WR draft in recent memory, there were options who would have helped Mendoza much more who the team passed on.

In Round 2, Vegas said no thanks to Denzel Boston (Washington) and Germie Bernard (Alabama). In Round 3, there were nine receivers drafted, including Antonio Williams , Ted Hurts, and Chris Bell, and in Round 4, there were six more, such as Elijah Sarratt, Skyler Bell, and Bryce Lance.

Now, if you are Tom Brady and Spytek, maybe you are thinking that Bech and Thornton are only in their second year, and there could be a massive leap for one or both of them, or even that Nailor and Young, both 27, could still flourish with more opportunity.

Still, it's been proven over and over again in the NFL that when you draft a QB high, getting weapons around him needs to be a top priority. That's why the Raiders' prioritizing defense over receivers, specifically, in this draft is a mistake and a move that could hinder the development of the most important draft pick in recent franchise history.