ESPN’s Mel Kiper is the “Godfather of NFL draft analysts”, paving the way for many in the industry, including inspiring a kid who grew up about 30 minutes outside of Oakland to get involved in breaking down the upcoming crop of professional football players. So, when Kiper drops a mock draft, it’s newsworthy, and he recently penned his final set of predictions for next weekend’s event with a two-round mock.
The Las Vegas Raiders ended up getting a pretty good haul, landing a couple of College Football National Champions: Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald. Let’s dive into what Kiper had to say about the two picks.
“Las Vegas could theoretically turn the draft card in now and start celebrating the landing of its new franchise quarterback,” the analyst wrote. “Mendoza is accurate with the football, can pick up the sticks with his legs when necessary and is able to execute any NFL-level throw. Considering the Raiders have been among the bottom five in QBR over the past five seasons (44.8), there’s no reason to overthink this. Let’s get to the Jets at No. 2, where the draft really starts.”
On McDonald:
“The final player from my current top-25 Big Board, McDonald can plug the middle at 6-2 and 326 pounds,” Kiper explained. “He had 17 run stops last season. But he’s more than just a run stopper; McDonald added 3.5 sacks and has some untapped potential in that area. He emerged in a big way during the 2025 season, and he could do wonders for the Raiders’ defense.”
This pairing has been picking up steam for the Silver and Black. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler also dropped a mock draft this past week (a full seven-rounder) and also had the Raiders walking away with Mendoza and McDonald in the first two rounds.
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That makes a lot of sense since quarterback and nose tackle are two of the biggest holes on Las Vegas’ roster, and, as Kiper alluded to, the Ohio State product being available at No. 36 could be a situation where “best player available” matches up with one of the Silver and Black’s needs. In my opinion, this is the ideal yet realistic scenario for the Raiders next weekend.
In Other Raiders’ Links:
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John Spytek watching the UFL: “We watch football whenever it’s on. That’s one of the requirements of the job. We’ve got a great pro department,” Spytek said (h/t Pro Football Talk). “Whether it’s UFL, CFL, IPP program, if there’s football going on and there’s players we think can help us, we’re watching. And they do an awesome job with it.”
