The Las Vegas Raiders
may have taken the most versatile guy in the 2026 NFL Draft in Treydan Stukes
, and then they took his best friend.
The Las Vegas Raiders selected safety Treydan Stukes with the top pick of the second round
of the 2026 NFL Draft for a reason. His IQ is unmatched
, and he's extremely versatile. They took his teammate, Dalton Johnson, in the fifth round for the same things.
Now, they get to continue being teammates, but this time while in the NFL, living the dream. And the best part is, they should both actually get to play together, not just being on the same roster, where one plays, and one does not.
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"Yeah, it's honestly like a dream come true," Stukes told reporters. "I mean, I couldn't have imagined reaching this point in my career and getting to do it with my best friend in the world.
"So, it's like we're coming into this brand-new thing, joining a brand-new team. But I'm doing it with my closest friend in the world. And it was a surreal moment when they picked him, and we were screaming on the phone together. So, we're super happy to be here, we're ready to get to work."
The two were the perfect duo in Arizona
. That secondary had four players drafted in this draft, and these two were the main ones making moves, maybe the two best of the unit. And a large reason is the chemistry they had in the back end at Arizona. It's an advantage they are now bringing to the NFL.
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Treydan Stukes and Dalton Johnson have an advantage
This is not just any advantage. This is not just another moment where we say that two players have amazing chemistry together, so it's working in their favor. No, Johnson and Stukes have chemistry that you don't often see with rookies. It's almost like the two of them can reach each other's minds.
"We got to a point playing at Arizona, where I didn't have to say anything. We had been in the same defense for a couple of years, and I could just look over and know he knows exactly what I'm talking about.
"So, now we're speaking a different language, but it's football at the end of the day,and I know exactly how he operates. And we've been sitting in each other's hotel rooms, going over the tape and stuff. So, we're going to get it right, and we're going to make sure that we bring our best every day."
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Both of them could be playing big-time snaps in 2026. There is a way where they are both on the field at the same time, with Stukes being able to play the nickel, and Johnson being that centerfielder as the free safety.
If they can bring that to the field in 2026 when they're both playing at the same time, it's an advantage that could be amazing to see.
Stukes played outside CB, FS, and Nickel last season at Arizona.
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4 interceptions (7 career INTs)
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6 pass deflections (29 career PBs)
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52 tackles (1 TFL, but 12 total TFLs in career)
Being the second-round pick, it's obvious that Stukes is the guy. At Arizona last season, he finished with a PFF coverage grade of 94.0. He was targeted 39 times and allowed only 23 catches for 200 yards, and no touchdowns allowed in coverage. Stukes had six forced incompletions. Stukes had a 34.4 passer rating allowed when QBs targeted him. He also didn't commit a single penalty last year, and in fact hadn't committed one since 2023.
But we could see Johnson play a significant amount, too. And, even if we don't in 2026, we will in 2027. The Raiders have two safeties, Isaiah Pola-Mao
and Jeremy Chinn
, who will be free agents then. Johnson and Stukes could be the duo that sees the field the most, in a variety of ways, thanks to their versatility.
