Raiders called biggest draft winners

The Raiders left the 2026 National Football League draft with one of the weekend’s most-praised classes after opening at No. 1 with quarterback Fernando Mendoza. (sports.yahoo.com) (raiders.com) Las Vegas made 10 picks in all. The headliner was Mendoza, the Indiana quarterback taken first overall on Thursday, April 23, after the Raiders spent months tied to him in mock drafts and pre-draft reporting. (raiders.com) (espn.com) ESPN said Mendoza completed 73% of his passes in 2025 and threw 27 red-zone touchdowns without an interception for Indiana. Ryan McFadden wrote that accuracy and decision-making match what Raiders coach Klint Kubiak wants at quarterback. (espn.com) The praise for Las Vegas did not stop with the first pick. Yahoo Sports said the Raiders “did well in the draft beyond the first overall pick” and listed the team among its winners after the draft ended Saturday. (sports.yahoo.com) That case starts with Treydan Stukes, the Arizona defensive back selected at No. 38 after Las Vegas traded back with Houston. ESPN said Stukes played 363 snaps in the slot and 161 at safety last season, giving the Raiders a defender who can move around the secondary. (espn.com) (raiders.com) The Raiders then added Auburn edge rusher Keyron Crawford at No. 67 and Texas A&M lineman Trey Zuhn III at No. 91 on Friday night. Their official draft tracker shows the class kept alternating between premium positions and depth needs instead of chasing one side of the ball. (raiders.com 1) (raiders.com 2) The pick that drew the loudest late-draft reaction was McCoy at No. 101. CBS Sports gave the selection an A+ and called McCoy one of the 10 best prospects in the class, saying medical concerns were the reason he lasted into Round 4. (cbssports.com) The Raiders’ own tracker shows McCoy was followed by running back Mike Washington Jr. at No. 122, then more depth on Day 3 as the class reached 10 total selections. That volume matters for a roster that entered the weekend needing help at quarterback, safety, offensive line and in the secondary. (raiders.com) (sharpfootballanalysis.com) Not every outlet put Las Vegas at the very top. CBS Sports’ broader winners-and-losers roundup highlighted the Jets and Giants instead, which shows the Raiders’ acclaim was strong but not unanimous across national draft grades. (cbssports.com) Still, the shape of the Raiders’ weekend was clear by Saturday night: Mendoza gave them a new quarterback plan, and the rest of the class gave analysts enough evidence to call Las Vegas one of the draft’s winners. (sports.yahoo.com) (raiders.com)