The Las Vegas Raiders made some moves in NFL free agency, but their big move, trading Maxx Crosby, fell through. So the team will have 10 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, but only one in the first round. What will they do with these picks? We asked the PFF 2026 NFL Mock Draft simulator what the Raiders may do in April, and here’s what it came back with.
Round 1, Pick 1: QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
No need to rush to the TV at 8 pm ET on Thursday, April 23. The 2026 NFL Draft won’t really start until about 15 minutes in when the New York Jets take the stage at pick No. 2. We all know the Raiders are taking Fernando Mendoza first.
Mendoza is the only option at No. 1 for a quarterback-needy team like the Raiders. That doesn’t mean he’s not an excellent option. Mendoza built himself into a championship-winning QB on his journey from 3-star recruit to Yale commit to Cal to Indiana.
Plenty of people have ignored or underestimated Mendoza for a variety of reasons, from his lack of elite physical traits to his unique personality. However, Mendoza has always ignored the critics, and, to borrow a phrase Raiders fans know well, he just wins, baby.
If the Raiders can nail a good chunk of the picks following Mendoza, he has a real chance to keep winning at the next level.
Round 2, Pick 36: OG Emmauel Pregnon, Oregon
After getting screwed out of a potential impact offensive lineman when the Maxx Crosby trade fell through, draft karma would come around for the Raiders if Emmanuel Pregnon fell in their lap in the second round.
Las Vegas is desperately trying to rework the offensive line in front of Mendoza, and getting the second-best pure guard in the 2026 NFL Draft would make the front office ecstatic. Pregnon is 6-foot-4, 314 pounds, and has a nasty streak that should make him an immediate impact starter in the pros.
It would have been nice to grab an offensive lineman with guard/right tackle flexibility in the middle of Round 1, but Pregnon is a pretty good consolation prize.
Round 3, Pick 67: RB Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas
Ashton Jeanty is the unquestioned RB1 for the Raiders, but no team succeeds in the modern NFL without at least two backs who can tote the rock on a game-to-game basis. Arkansas’ Mike Williams Jr. would be an excellent complement to Jeanty.
Washington is a big back at 6-foot-1, 223 pounds who ran a blazing 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the combine. Despite his size, Washington primarily relies on his speed and needs to show more physicality while running between the tackles and pass blocking.
Despite his weaknesses, Washington has rare size and athleticism and can catch the ball out of the backfield, too. For now, he’s a great change-of-pace back behind Jeanty, but if he ever puts it all together, the Raiders could have a 1A and 1B instead of an RB1 and RB2.
Round 4, Pick 102: EDGE Keyron Crawford, Auburn
Keyron Crawford doesn’t get the buzz his Auburn teammate Keldric Faulk is getting in the run-up to the 2026 NFL Draft, but he is also a raw prospect with a lot of athleticism and upside. Crawford didn’t play football until his senior year in high school, but he showed enough at Arkansas State to make his way to the SEC, and he got better in his second season with Auburn.
The Raiders have NFL free agency signing Kwity Paye in the building now, and Maxx Crosby is back. Crawford would be a nice developmental pass rusher with intriguing upside for Las Vegas to develop behind those two veterans.
Round 4, Pick 117: S Bud Clark, TCU
The “good” news for the Raiders—which bears out in this PFF 2026 NFL Mock Draft simulator run—is that they have so many needs that they can go best player available with basically all of their picks this year.
That brings us to Bud Clark, the TCU safety who can do it all. He is just 6-foot-1, 188 pounds, but he plays bigger and faster than his numbers suggest. Clark is a ballhawk with 15 interceptions in his six seasons with the Horned Frogs. He’ll take a few too many chances, but the results usually work out for his team.
Round 4, Pick 134: CB Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina
Jaln Kilgore is the opposite of Bud Clark. He was a college corner, but at 6-foot-1, 210 with good physicality, he’s probably more of a safety or big nickel at the next level. In 2024, he led the SEC with five INTs and added two last seasons.
Kilgore is the kind of tweener, versatile football player that the Raiders can afford to take a chance on and figure out his best position as they go.
Round 5, Pick 175: OT Aamil Wagner, Notre Dame
At 6-foot-6, 306 pounds, Aamil Wagner is a two-year starter who seems like a finished product. While there isn’t much upside here, Wagner can be a capable swing tackle at the next level and was a team captain at Notre Dame, which would be good for the Raiders' locker room.
Round 6, Pick 185: OT Nolan Rucci, Penn State
This PFF 2026 NFL Mock Draft simulator run is doubling up on certain positions for the Raiders and taking different types of prospects with each pick, which is interesting. In Nolan Rucci, Vegas would get the opposite of Wagner. Rucci is 6-foot-8, 305 pounds, and is a former 5-star with NFL bloodlines who has room to improve, both physically and in his technique.
If Wagner can hold down a backup spot for now, Rucci could be a starter down the line, so taking both these prospects makes a lot of sense.
Round 6, Pick 208: DT Skyler Gill-Howard, Texas Tech
Skyler Gill-Howard is an unresized defensive tackle (6-foot-1, 280) who was a crucial piece of the dominating Texas Tech defense this season. He is a quick, high-energy player who would make for a solid rotational DT.
Round 7, Pick 219: S Robert Spears-Jennings, Oklahoma
For Oklahoma, Robert Spears-Jennings was inconsistent and showed a lack of high-level awareness at times. However, he’s 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, and ran a blazing 4.32-second 40 at the combine. At worst, Spears-Jennings should be a top special teams contributor in the NFL, and if he ever figures out the football details side, he could be a real player.
