Raiders 3-Round NFL Mock Draft: Picking the perfect 2026 rookie class before the NFL Draft Combine

The Raiders are ready for the Combine.

Justin Churchill — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer
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Northwestern offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan Las Vegas Raiders mock draft
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The Las Vegas Raiders have what may be their most important draft coming up soon. They have to address both the offense and defense in a drastic way to get the Klint Kubiak era started off on the right foot.

We all know the Raiders are taking Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick, so the main focus now is building a roster that gives Mendoza the best possible support for his rookie season. The Raiders need more weapons and protection to help Mendoza transition smoothly, and they have the picks to accomplish this. We’ll mock up the best pre-NFL Draft Combine to strengthen both sides of the ball, keeping Mendoza’s immediate needs at the center of the strategy.

With the Combine in a few days, this will be the last mock we do until then. After the combine, we will continue to do more mock drafts, incorporating new information on how prospects could help Mendoza and the team. This is where players can rise or fall in the pre-draft process. In this mock, I’ll save time by jumping past the obvious No. 1 pick, Mendoza, and focus on the picks shaping his rookie year.

It’s also worth mentioning in this mock that I have the Raiders trading back up into the first round from the second to get an elite offensive guard, specifically to protect Mendoza. In this trade, Vegas gives up the No. 36, No. 117, and No. 181 picks to the Houston Texans for the No. 28 pick, ensuring Mendoza has top-tier protection early in his career.

Raiders 2026 3-Round NFL Mock Draft before the Combine

Round 1, Pick 28: Penn State Nittany Lions OG Olaivavega “Vega” Ioane

This is one of the best all-around guards in the entire draft. Ioane is a pass blocker at heart, and an elite one. His run blocking lacks the consistency of his pass protection because he doesn’t win as often and as easily as he does in the pass, but he does win with power at the point of attack. Ioane needs to improve his lateral movement, which can limit his ceiling in outside zone schemes. Luckily, he has the physical traits to improve in that area.

Round 3, Pick 67: Northwestern OT Caleb Tiernan

Tiernan is also more of a pass-blocking offensive lineman, who also has some tools to be good in the run game. He’s 6’7, so he does have an issue getting lower than the real low-level pad pass rushers in the run game. But that’s fixable, because there are ways to counter that when you can’t get that low. As far as the pass game, he’s elite. He has great foot speed to counter those speed rushers and bendy guys, and he’s also an anchor when it comes to the power rushers. If the Raiders draft these two guys, their offensive line would instantly be able to protect Mendoza better, but they would need some developing to get that wide-zone scheme at its best for Ashton Jeanty.

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