Raiders 7-round mock draft is ultimate redemption for Pete Carroll's disaster

The Las Vegas Raiders were snakebitten by Pete Carroll's influence over the NFL Draft last year, and that's a big reason why he was a one-and-done head coach.

Carroll was notorious for meddling in personnel, which ultimately culminated in the end of his tenure in Seattle as well. Funnily enough, Carroll's Las Vegas successor, Klint Kubiak, just dialed up offensive plays for the Seahawks' Super Bowl-winning offense, and is about to get a No. 1 overall pick at quarterback.

Yes, we all know that Indiana's Fernando Mendoza will be the first named called on draft night. But what else might Raiders GM John Spytek cook up, liberated from Carroll's influence?

Let's dive into a seven-round mock draft that brings far more talent to Vegas than a hopeful franchise QB.

Raiders 7-round mock draft secures long-awaited franchise QB Fernando Mendoza & plenty more dynamic rookies

Round 1, Pick 1 — Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

Need we discuss this selection at all? Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy and the national championship. Although his pocket presence and ability to execute true Sunday throws leave something to be desired, Mendoza has decent straight-line speed. Just because he wasn't asked to pull off more traditional NFL passing concepts in college doesn't mean he can't.

Kubiak's outside zone running scheme should open up all kinds of opportunities for play-action passes that move the launch point and get Mendoza some clean throwing windows off of bootlegs.

Having Ashton Jeanty in the backfield is a big plus that'll aid Mendoza's transition to the pro ranks. Veteran QB Kirk Cousins is an ideal mentor for Mendoza. Should be a great situation for the young lad as he tries to wrest the Raiders back to relevance.

Round 2, Pick 36 — Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech

This is not a great defensive tackle class, yet it's a big need for the Raiders that they should prioritize near the top of Round 2 before basically all the starting-caliber prospects are gone.

While Lee Hunter benefited from playing on a Texas Tech defensive line starring David Bailey and Romello Height on the edge, he's a fine player in his own right. His 11.9% run stop rate and 84.5 PFF run defense grade last year are just what Las Vegas could use in the defensive trenches.

Round 3, Pick 67 — Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State

Elijah Sarratt reuniting with Mendoza on the strength of their uncanny chemistry on back-shoulder throws would be the popular choice here. A little bit of a plot twist, though, courtesy of another big-bodied, contested catch marvel in Georgia State's Ted Hurst.

Now of course, it's one thing for Hurst to Moss dudes in the Sun Belt Conference. It's another thing entirely to do so in the NFL. But the 6'4", 206-pound playmaker is a superior, speedier deep threat to Sarratt, hence why he gets the nod here.

Raiders 7-round mock draft yields potential key contributors in massive Day 3 talent influx

Round 4, Pick 102 — Bud Clark, S, TCU

Despite playing a majority of his snaps in the slot for TCU, Bud Clark has the versatility to be a box safety and the range and coverage savvy to be a deep center fielder. His 4.41 40 at the Combine matches the explosiveness he's shown in pads.

Clark is a big play hunter who tends to fan on tackles (14.5% miss rate in 2025), and he's a little undersized at 188 pounds. Nevertheless, he piled up 15 interceptions as a four-year starter for the Horned Frogs. You don't expect fourth-rounders to compete for starting jobs. Given Vegas' lackluster personnel at safety, Clark could be squarely in that mix right away.

Round 4, Pick 117 — Tacario Davis, CB, Washington

Perhaps Carroll had a strong say in drafting Darien Porter in the third round last year. In any event, Tacario Davis is another lengthy boundary cornerback who should be on the Raiders' radar to add depth behind projected starters Porter and Eric Stokes.

Given his blend of size (6'4"), explosiveness at the catch point (37-inch vertical leap) and long/make-up speed (he matched Clark's 4.41 40 at the Combine), Davis can cover more ground than most, and profiles as an appealing zone-centric corner.

Round 4, Pick 134 — DeMonte Capehart, DT, Clemson

All due respect to these professionals who've clawed their way to the NFL ranks, Las Vegas has a bunch of JAGs in its defensive tackle group (Just Another Guy). Adding an exotic athlete like DeMonte Capehart in Round 4 would be a solid addition to the room on top of Lee Hunter.

Clemson prospects, particularly on the front seven, tend to be very hit-or-miss in the NFL, and skew more toward the latter. That doesn't bode so well for Capehart, who started about half his games for the Tigers over the past two seasons and was a reserve the four years prior. What he would bring to the Raiders' mix is a towering build (6'5", 313) and mind-boggling movement skills (4.85 40).

Round 5, Pick 175 — Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake Forest

Why not inject a little lightning into the already-thunderous Silver and Black backfield? Demond Claibrone runs like he's shot out of a cannon, and would be a fresh change-up to the more punishing, north-south running style of Jeanty.

Round 6, Pick 185 — VJ Payne, S, Kansas State

VJ Payne is at his best as a box safety/big nickel who can read and react in coverage. He isn't shy about laying the hammer down on opponents, and Payne can really pack a punch at 6'3", 206 pounds. Across his four seasons at Kansas State with 41 straight starts to finish, Payne allowed a 65.6 passer rating.

Round 6, Pick 208 — Keagen Trost, OT, Missouri

Can DJ Glaze prove himself as the Raiders' starting right tackle in 2026? If that dubious experiment goes awry, Keagen Trost is a decent contingency plan. Trost has experience at left tackle, too, but started on the right side the past two seasons, and gave up only one sack and four QB hurries in his final collegiate season.

Round 7, Pick 219 — TJ Guy, EDGE, Michigan

After registering 5.5 sacks in 2024, TJ Guy's bottom-line production dipped to 2.5 in that department. However, he still managed a 13% pass rush win rate. Not a bad flier to take at this late stage of the draft.