2026 NFL Draft Round 1 grades: Fernando Mendoza pick an A for Raiders; Cardinals get a B

The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 NFL Draft.Welcome to The Athletic’s pick-by-pick grades for Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Which teams filled a need with a potential star? Which GMs might wind up regretting their decisions down the line?Because we won’t know those full answers until the incoming rookie class has been in the league for a few seasons, our immediate grades take into account a number of factors: pick value, trade cost, how the draft board looked at the time of the selection and so on.The Round 1 grades:(Note: Scott Dochterman provided grades for odd-numbered picks, Nick Baumgardner for even-numbered picks.)