2026 NFL Draft Team Needs & Predictions: Raiders (2026)

Pick 1: Las Vegas Raiders

2026 Free Agent Key Losses:

QB Geno Smith, OG Dylan Parham, RT Stone Forsythe, OG Alex Kappa, S Lonnie Johnson, CB Darnay Holmes

2026 Free Agents Losses:

• QB: Kenny Pickett
• RB: Raheem Mostert, Zamir White
• WR: Tyler Lockett, Alex Bachman
• TE: Ian Thomas
• LB: Elandon Roberts, Devin White, Jon Rhattigan
• CB: Kyu Blu Kelly (ERFA)
• S: Jamal Adams, Terrell Edmunds
• ST: K Daniel Carlson, Jacob Bobenmoyer

2027 Free Agents:

• QB: Aidan O’Connell
• RB: Chris Collier (ERFA)
• WR: Dareke Young, Tre Tucker, Phillip Dorsett, Shedrick Jackson (ERFA), Brenden Rice (ERFA)
• TE: Michael Mayer, Albert Okwuegbunam, Justin Shorter (RFA), Carter Runyon (ERFA)
• OL: OG Jordan Meredith, RT Joshua Miles, G Atonio Mafi (RFA), G McClendon Curtis (RFA), G Layden Robinson (ERFA), RT Dalton Wagner (ERFA), C Will Putnam (ERFA)
• EDGE: Tyree Wilson (CLUB), Jahfari Harvey (ERFA), Malcolm Koonce, Thomas Booker, Charles Snowden (RFA)
• DL: Brodric Martin (RFA), Laki Tasi (ERFA), Treven Ma’ae (ERFA)
• LB: Jamin Davis
• CB: Chigozie Anusiem (RFA), Greedy Vance Jr. (ERFA), Tristin McCollum (RFA)
• S: Jeremy Chinn, Isaiah Pola-Mao
• ST: Alex Ward (RFA), K Matt Gay

Team Needs: QB, RT, WR, DT, CB, RB, EDGE

No sugarcoating the Raiders’ two biggest needs for 2026: quarterback and offensive line. Those positions were dreadful for the Black Hole in 2025, and it’s exactly why they find themselves holding the No. 1 Overall pick.

Conventional thinking holds that Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza will be selected No. 1 overall by the Raiders in this year’s draft. If you glance at the betting markets…

Well, he’s listed at -10000 to be the No. 1 overall pick.

However, this doesn’t mean he will be the Week 1 starter. New Raiders HC Klint Kubiak teased Geno Smith early on as a potentially bridge QB. Alas, it won’t be Geno after he was dealt back to the New York Jets. Truly a full circle moment.

Even so, Kubiak seemed to double down on the idea of sitting a young QB behind a veteran. If Kubiak isn’t confident in the OL/run game, he might not opt to throw a rookie QB into the fire. Kirk Cousins makes a lot of sense as the veteran bridge QB who could start until they want to play Mendoza.

But before that even happens, Kubiak, second-year GM John Spytek, and partial owner Tom Brady had to devise a way to fix this offensive line.

Bringing Kubiak’s offensive system is already a big upgrade, given how well he has coached less-than-elite offensive lines over the last two seasons with the Saints and Seahawks.

I looked at this from a betting perspective before the season. Essentially, what was the correlation between preseason OL rankings and win totals? Long story short, analysts have done a decent job pinpointing bad offensive lines during the preseason… which has led to more underwhelming win totals.

Well, until the 2025 season, LOL. Seattle and New England’s offensive lines were both inside the bottom 5 across preseason publications. Seattle was bottom-5 for the third consecutive season….

Sure, the tackles stayed relatively healthy, and Grey Zabel was a great first-round draft pick. But I think Kubiak’s scheme played such a big role in the offensive line’s improvement to 15th overall (per PFF).

The interior was definitely its weakest part in Seattle, and it’s similar in Las Vegas.

I want to point out that it’s more about the interior offensive line needs than tackle, given the team already has OT Kolton Miller, who was just injured last season (limited to just four games).

Why is this so critical to call out? Per PFF, Miller was arguably the best left tackle in the league before his injury, as he earned an 89.5 PFF pass-blocking grade.

OG Jackson Powers-Johnson was also hurt last season (7 games).

Still, nobody will argue against another offensive tackle remaining a glaring need. Per PFF, the two starting tackles from last season ranked first and second in sacks allowed.

Just getting healthier across the offensive line will see this unit play dramatically better in 2026. Add Kubiak’s scheme, and we could really see Ashton Jeanty shine in Year 2. Brock Bowers might get the JSN treatment with favorable looks all over the formation.

The run-blocking was terrible in 2025, ranking near the bottom of the NFL (30th-32nd) in win rate and yards per attempt. The line struggled to create space, resulting in rookie running back Ashton Jeanty being hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on nearly 50% of his carries during his rookie season.

Jeanty has a three-down skill set, but Kubiak wants a two-headed backfield. Same as Seattle until Zach Charbonnet went down.

OG Alex Kappa was a salary cap cut candidate, further bolstering the need for more interior blocking depth.

But the minute that free agency started…the Raiders wasted little time upgrading the offensive line. Tyler Linderbaum signed a mega-deal to be the starting center. Jordan Meredith re-signed and can kick outside to another guard spot, joining Powers-Johnson.

So, in fall out of free agency, I’d say the Raiders are just one more tackle away from a completed rebuild. And they should be able to draft that guy at the top of the second round.

WR Tre Tucker is entering the last year of his contract, but it remains to be seen how this new coaching staff views him. Probably a depth piece but not a true No. 1 WR by any means.

Neither rookie WR, Jack Bech nor Dont’e Thornton, flashed enough to justify bringing back the same veteran wide receiver corps from 2025 with a rookie QB under center.

LV signed Jalen Nailor from the Vikings.

The Raiders also hired Nick Holz as their passing game coordinator…after he spent last year with the Titans as OC.

And because the team retained Maxx Crosby after the trade with the Ravens fell through, they will definitely not have to address pass-rush as much. Malcolm Koonce will return on a one-year deal.

The Raiders also signed pass rusher Kwity Paye to a three-year deal. Also further boosted the defense with two former Georgia linebackers…Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker.

But depending on Crosby’s longevity, they still might look for alternative pass rush options.

His return is a boost to the run defense because LV’s run defensive tackles aren’t great. They had two interior defensive linemen rank bottom-25 in run defense per PFF.

No.1 CB, Eric Stokes, also signed a three-year deal to come back to the Raiders. The Raiders traded for Ex-Bills CB Taron Johnson.

An interesting coaching note: the Raiders’ former RB coach was Deland McCullough in 2025, who spent 2022-2024 in the same position at Notre Dame. Not to say that Jeremiyah Love will be taken first overall…but don’t completely rule out an Ashton Jeanty/Jadarian Price tandem in LV (although I am already preparing my pitchfork).

And I am acknowledging the likelihood that this actually could happen after Kubiak’s quotes from the NFL Combine. Well, at least the second RB.

However, McCullough is no longer the Raiders RB coach (now at Oklahoma). The Raiders hired Omar Young as their new RB coach. Last year, he was with Iowa. Before that he was with the Patriots (2024) and the Bears (2023-2022).

Most of the RBs he has coached aren’t marquee names…other than David Montgomery and Aaron Jones (both on new deals/and under contract for 2026).

Still, could see an Antonio Gibson, Khalil Herbert, or Roschon Johnson type addition to the Raiders’ RB room, given they need a No. 2 behind Jeanty.

Might shed some light on some LV-ND player connections throughout the draft process. Fighting Irish to monitor include OG Billy Schrauth, TE Eli Raridon, and OT Aamil Wagner.

The Chiefs also requested to interview McCullough – he was the former RB coach for KC from 2018-2020. Perhaps KC is showing its interest in these Notre Dame RBs. I’m sure we can all stay level-headed when the Chiefs select Love 9th overall. Thank the lord they signed Kenneth Walker and Love will be long gone by the time they pick in Round 1.

Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn