The Las Vegas Raiders need an X wide receiver, and they are being linked to Washington Huskies WR Denzel Boston. Trading back into the first could help land him.
The offseason is still going on as we await the 2026 NFL Draft for the Las Vegas
Raiders And, as we wait, it's fun to try different exercises with the draft. It's fun to see the different kinds of combinations you can come up with for your team, that are realistic, of course.
I also separate my mock drafts into two different categories. One is what I think the team will do, and I only put a few of those out every offseason. All the others are what I would do. In this scenario, it's a what-I-would-do mock, where I explore trading back into the first round to get an elite receiver. It's realistic, but it's unlikely to happen. But let's take a look to get an idea of how it could happen.
Not even sure we have to explain this one. It feels like I'm running out of things to say at this point.
I traded back into the second round to get the big X receiver this team so desperately needs. Not to mention, there's been a lot of buzz regarding Boston and the Raiders. Boston is one of the best contested catch guys in the draft, as he uses his big frame to shield defenders away at the catch point. He's also got great footwork, especially on deep routes. However, he lacks elite speed and could struggle to separate at the next level when being pressed.
While I don't think this trade would be accepted, it does follow the model, with each point adding up to equal value. And, who's to say that the Raiders would give up three picks when their roster is as bad as it is? But this is supposed to be fun, and after an AI trade suggestion in our mock to spice things up a bit, I just couldn't pass. I especially couldn't pass because the Raiders desperately need a defensive tackle who can play both nose tackle and three-technique. They need a DT who can eat up space, stop the run, but also generate some juice in the pass rush game, too. McDonald has all of that.
There are three safeties on the Raiders' roster, none of whom can cover, and none of whom have contracts for next season. Haulcy is one of the better cover safeties in the draft. He's got great zone instincts and some tools to play press if he needs to. His one big issue is that he has struggled in run defense when coming down into the box. He has to improve his pursuit angles there, and his frame makes him a bit worse of a tackler than you'd like to have at the position.
Rivers can be an elite nickel in this league. You may be saying to yourself, the Las Vegas Raiders just traded for nickel Taron Johnson , why would they draft another one? Well, Johnson has dealt with a ton of injuries, and after this season, he will be a free agent. They need the depth there, and Rivers can be great with some development. Rivers is great at making receivers uncomfortable. He's handsy and much more physical than he looks. But that's just the thing. Despite having 33 career pass deflections and seven career interceptions, Rivers lacks length and is sometimes too handsy, especially for the NFL.
The Las Vegas Raiders need depth at the guard position. However, they also need someone who can challenge the starters in training camp. It's feeling like, at this current moment, Caleb Rogers is going to be the starter, unless they take a guard higher in the draft. Rogers has just 280 snaps in his career, so getting someone to push him in camp but also provide depth would be smart. Roberts has some elite traits, such as his size, but needs to improve his technique and consistency. And, he needs to work on speeding up his game.
Randall shows strong size and power as a runner, consistently finishing runs and breaking tackles at the second level. He also displays good straight-line speed. However, his lack of lateral quickness limits his ability to make defenders miss in tight spaces. He is a direct runner who rarely hesitates behind the line, but his hands are inconsistent, leading to a position switch from WR. Randall may not fit an outside zone scheme, but as a late Day 3 pick, the team seeks a goal-line and short-yardage specialist, as well as help in pass protection and receiving. These areas were weaknesses for Vegas last season, beyond Jeanty. Randall has already had a pre-draft visit with the Raiders.
The Oklahoma Sooners had one of the best defenses in the country last year, and they did that with a lot of youth in the secondary. A major reason was the leader and player that RSJ was. Spears-Jennings can be an elite coverage safety, but he needs some development. When in Oklahoma, he was in the box a bit, too. He's a very willing tackler, super fast (4.38 40-yard dash), and not afraid to do the dirty work on DB blitzes. This would give the Raiders five safeties on their roster, with the addition of Haulcy, of course.
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