Las Vegas Raiders 3 Round 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Addressing some of their biggest needs with their first 3 picks
The Las Vegas Raiders need a quarterback, and some other things in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Sitting at 2-7, the Las Vegas Raiders are moving toward the end of the season, knowing they may not win many more games, if any. Their schedule to finish the season isn’t incredibly hard, but it’s also not easy. There is a way for them to finish 5-12, which would be an improvement over last year, technically.
There is also a scenario where they finish 2-15 and possibly secure a top-three pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Regardless, this is a team that should be focusing on the draft, and with that, we will start shifting a bit of our focus there as well. So, our first three-round mock draft of the year is here, and we have the Raiders selecting three of their biggest needs in the first three rounds.
Raiders 3 Round 2026 NFL Mock Draft
Round 1, Pick 6 – Ty Simpson, Quarterback, Alabama Crimson Tide
There is a great chance that Ty Simpson is there when the Raiders go on the clock. To me, you HAVE to walk away with a quarterback in this draft.
And, you pretty much have to do that in Round 1. At No. 6, there are some teams ahead of them who don’t necessarily need a quarterback, like the Tennessee Titans. I also think that QBs Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore will be the two big names to watch to kick off the draft.
Simpson can be a franchise quarterback. However, he may need to sit out a season before we get to that. The Raiders will still have Geno Smith for a year until they can potentially release him from his contract. Simpson would be the best option at QB if he were available.
Round 2, Pick 38 – Connor Lew, Center, Auburn Tigers
Before he tore his ACL, Lew was considered a potential top-15 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. After the ACL tear, people seem to think he will be a later first-rounder or an early second-rounder, which is where the Raiders’ second-round pick falls. Is Connor Lew that good that, after the ACL tear, he can still be an elite NFL player, barring anything crazy?
We all know how Carroll’s stubbornness with the offensive line played out during the offseason and the beginning of the season. Now, we are watching one of the worst offensive lines in football every week. The pass protection has had moments, but the run game has been putrid.
Lew is good at both and can get up to that second level in the run game, as we saw him do so many times with QB Jackson Arnold. Grabbing him and keeping Jackson Powers-Johnson at guard, or flipping the two, would be ideal for the next QB.
Round 3, Pick 70 – Keith Abney, Cornerback, Arizona State
The Raiders’ secondary is one of the worst overall units on the team, whereas other units have just one or two underperforming players. Eric Stokes is pretty much the only guy in the cornerback room who is playing decent football, and that’s not good. The Raiders drafted Darien Porter, but haven’t given him many opportunities to show anything.
The Raiders’ prototypical CB is a long, lanky, fast cornerback who plays the ball well. Keith Abney is that, and he has some pretty good potential. There is a chance that we see him become one of those players who rapidly climb the draft boards, but right now, the third round is perfect for him.
Abney is an outside zone cornerback with elite man traits, and with Carroll and his staff, he has the potential to develop into an elite cornerback.
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