Las Vegas Raiders land 2 National Champions in Mel Kiper’s final 2026 NFL mock draft

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 19: Fernando Mendoza #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers raises the National Championship Trophy after Indiana defeated the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium on January 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) | Getty Images

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.”