Raiders NFL Five-Round Mock Draft 2.0: What Will They Do on Draft Night?

HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders are gathered in Miami, Florida for tonight’s College Football National title game, and to witness the presume number one pick in Fernando Mendoza.

John Spytek and Tom Brady, along with an elite scouting staff led by Brandon Yeargan, are already adapting, updating, and working on their NFL Draft boards.

Today I offer you our MOCK Draft 2.0 for the 2026 season.

How Do We Make Our Picks?

The College Sources

Jan 8, 2019; San Jose, CA, USA; Detailed view of the 2019 College Football Playoff championship trophy at a press conference at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. Clemson defeated Alabama 44-16 to win its second national title in three years. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

We listen closely to the college sources that we have earned over the years to assess who the Raiders have been watching.

For example, we told you before the season started the Silver and Black had their eyes on Fernando Mendoza. Something that should excite Raider Nation, as they were on the young signal caller long before it was popular.

Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady | Dexter Ernest Wayne Carpenter, On SI

The NFL Sources

Our sources, accumulated over decades, regularly tell us what they are seeing and hearing about the Raiders. Once we learned of the Raiders' interest in Mendoza early, it was about 10 days later that we started hearing it from NFL sources.

Las Vegas Raiders GM John Spytek | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

The NFL is a tight network of people that, while appearing broad to the public, is rather small to those who operate in it.

2026 NFL MOCK Draft 1.0

2026 NFL MOCK Draft 2.0

Round 1, pick 1: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner is clearly the number one quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft, and while that doesn’t equate to the immediate thoughts of Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck, he is a tremendous NFL-ready player at the most important position in all of football.

Scout’s Take: “Mendoza reminds me a lot of Matt Ryan, and some of Matt Stafford, with better legs than both. I am not saying he is both of them; he has unique skill sets that each had separately. With (Matt) Ryan, it is the ball skills, and with Stafford, it is the leadership. Finally, the Raiders will have a true QB1 to lead them back, and with feet.”

Round 2, pick 36: Keith Abney II, CB, Arizona State

A ferocious force at the corner in the run game is only a plus for this ball hawk (five picks last two years) with impressive ball skills.

Scout’s Take: “Keith Abney II was quietly one of the best coverage CBs in last season, and he’s picked up his disruptive ways through the first half of the 2025 season. He has the fourth-highest PFSN CBi score in the nation at 94.1, and the tape has been lights-out from start to finish. At around 6’0″, 190 pounds, Abney has some of the most translatable coverage athleticism on the circuit, with effortless mirror-motor ability and route relationship management in off-man and zone.”

Round 3, pick 67: Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana

The opportunity to pair your young quarterback with one of his favorite targets requires very few brain cells. He is a sure-handed and steady target that instantly brings chemistry with your new young gunslinger.

Scout’s Take: “At 6’0″, 201 pounds, (Omar) Cooper is a uniquely built WR prospect with great compact mass and powerful lower-body explosion packed up, but he also has the playing leverage and natural sink to redirect and re-channel acceleration through transitions. His primary two modes are as a RAC threat — with his elite explosiveness, speed, fast RAC transitions, and contact balance — and as a deep threat with his field-stretching range, body control, and sure hands — but he also flashes promise as a route runner on double-moves and short clearance concepts, using head fakes and stacked hip transitions to surge into space.”

Round 4, pick 102: Jude Bowry, OT, Boston College

The Raiders make significant free-agent moves, which allow them to address other needs early in the NFL Draft and afford them the opportunity to take a developmental offensive tackle with impressive skills who needs time to learn the game.

Scout’s Take: “Bowry is a high-reward, moderate-risk player, who, when you look at him at this pick, the reward potential justifies the pick. He has skills that you can’t teach, and will have to learn RT, but can develop into a solid and reliable swing tackle in Las Vegas.”

Round 4, pick 117: Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati

Golday is the kind of player that week in and week out you put on the film, and even if you were just watching the game casually, he stands out every time. He is an old-school football player. He is a relentless player with an amazing motor.

Round 4, pick 134 Caleb Banks, DT, Florida

The Raiders adding Banks would be a very big deal. Many have him pegged as a third-round player, but the way this draft appears to be shaping up, he may fall, due to no fault of his own, and it is plausible that the Raiders could steal him right here. An immediate player, not a starter, but an immediate player with substantial long-term impact.

Round 5, pick 174 Bud Clark, Safety, TCU

An excellent playmaker, who is a ballhawk. He is reliable in open space, makes tackles, and is extremely athletic. He has enormous upside, but should contribute immediately on specials, as well as play normal defensive reps, and be ready to be a starter in year two.

Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Las Vegas Raiders when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. Not only is it 100% FREE, but we also don’t spam you or sell your information. SIGN UP HERE NOW.

Find us on X (formerly Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and @EZTrez_SI and weigh in on the Raiders. While here, check out our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE to discuss the Raiders' offseason.