When the Las Vegas Raiders inevitably turn in the card with Fernando Mendoza's name on it to kick off the 2026 NFL Draft next month, hardly anyone will be surprised. He's inarguably the best quarterback in the class, and the Silver and Black badly need a captain of the ship.
It's been weeks, perhaps months, since a mock draft hasn't had the Indiana quarterback landing in Las Vegas, and unless something drastic changes, we may never see one again. But the waters get a bit choppier when it comes to what the Raiders may do in Round 2 or beyond.
One school of thought is to draft the best player available, and another is to take a player who fills an immediate need. Fortunately or unfortunately for John Spytek and Klint Kubiak's team, the best player available is likely to fill a need anyway, given the state of Las Vegas' roster.
But every mock draft has something different in store for the Raiders, as they are all over the place in the latest projections after taking Mendoza at the top of the board. Ideas range from injury-prone defensive tackles to players who probably won't still be there at No. 36. Let's take a look.
Latest crop of Raiders mock drafts are all over the place after Fernando Mendoza
Pro Football Focus' Gordon McGuinness released his latest mock draft earlier this week. After predicting that the Raiders would take Mendoza at No. 1, he had Las Vegas bulking up the offensive and defensive lines in Rounds 2 and 3, respectively.
Round 2, Pick No. 36 - Emmanuel Pregnon, G, Oregon
Round 3, Pick No. 67 - Domonique Orange, NT, Iowa State
Spytek, admittedly, wants to build this team through the trenches. Pregnon is a highly-coveted guard prospect with great size, hand placement, and a nasty demeanor. His lateral quickness isn't ideal for a zone blocking scheme, however.
Orange is a massive prospect at 6-foot-2 and 322 pounds with 33 and 3/8-inch arms and 10 and 1/4-inch hands. He is an explosive and space-eating nose tackle who could thrive at the center of Rob Leonard's defense if he commits to improving his pass-rush skill set.
A to Z Sports' Kyle Crabbs had the Raiders going a different direction at No. 36 in his latest mock draft. Instead of adding to the big boys up front, Crabbs had Las Vegas taking a toolsy and versatile defensive back in Round 2.
Round 2, Pick No. 36 - Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, DB, Toledo
While it is hard to put McNeil-Warren into a box due to his being a chess piece, at the very worst, he should be a very good box or strong safety in the NFL. He is big, strong, fast and creates turnovers while maintaining good technique, so it'd be a miracle to see him drop this year. But you never know.
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CBS Sports' Josh Edwards, as is customary, had Mendoza going No. 1 to Las Vegas in his latest mock draft. After that, however, he had some outside-the-box, and perhaps downright risky ideas as to where the Raiders go on Day 2. I call this the "hope they stay healthy" strategy.
Round 2, Pick No. 36 - Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
Round 3, Pick No. 67 - Chris Bell, WR, Louisville
Banks was a consensus top-10 pick before this past season began, but injuries derailed his stock. He ascended draft boards again after the Senior Bowl, but another injury has seen him plummet again. Banks did test well with a broken foot and has every conceivable tool. But health is wealth in the NFL.
Bell is coming off an ACL tear late into his final college season, so he'd almost have to redshirt in 2026 for the Raiders. But, man, it's difficult to find his combination of speed, strength, size and YAC ability. If he recovers well, he could be a bigger version of Deebo Samuel. That's hard to pass up, injured or not.
FanSided's Cody Williams also had a unique approach to the Raiders' Day 2 selections, of course. His latest mock draft has Las Vegas locking in an offensive tackle and a familiar wide receiver for Mendoza in the middle rounds.
Round 2, Pick No. 36 - Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
Round 3, Pick No. 67 - Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana
Lomu doesn't get as much run as his Utah teammate, Spencer Fano, but he may eventually become a better player at the next level. His athleticism would be nice for Kubiak's zone blocking scheme, and his upper half is incredibly powerful. If Lomu can hone his footwork, he'd be a Round 2 steal.
Sarratt, as fans know, was one of Mendoza's go-to targets at Indiana. The two connected on 65 passes for 830 yards and an FBS-leading 15 touchdowns a season ago, and Las Vegas could certainly use some wide receiver help. He's not a lightning bolt, but Sarratt does everything well.
In some ways, Spytek is in an unenviable position with a fairly weak, albeit much-improved, roster. But in other ways, he is almost guaranteed to come out of the draft smelling like roses. No matter what strategy he employs, he'll almost assuredly be both adding talent and addressing a need.