The Las Vegas Raiders may want to add some bodies to their wide receiver room, or they may be just fine with how it is now.
I wrote an article before the 2026 NFL Draft, saying the Las Vegas Raiders could end up delaying their need for a wide receiver
until the sixth or seventh round. That was largely because of Jalen Nailor.
They did just that, drafting Malik Benson in the sixth round. And now, general manager John Spytek says he likes the WR room just the way it is. He's saying that just when everyone is suggesting the Raiders go get a guy like Stefon Diggs or Juaun Jennings.
Advertisement
"I like our WR room, I love Tre Tucker, we're excited about Jalen Nailor, we drafted Jack Bech in the second, we have belief in Jack, we drafted Dont'e Thornton in the 4th last year, we believe in him, I'm excited with Malik Benson," Spytek said on the Kay Adams show.
There was always the belief that Vegas wanted to see what Bech and Thornton could do in a real offensive system before giving up on them. And now, unless this is a smokescreen of some sort, Spytek has confirmed that.
Advertisement
Raiders should just rely on Jalen Nailor as WR1
They have a guy in Nailor who has shown he can be that if given the touches. Last season, behind guys like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison
, Nailor finished with 444 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. Nailor also finished with 15.3 yards per catch. That showed that he can be an elite threat in that intermediate to deep part of the passing game.
On 49 targets in 2025, Nailor had just one drop. Nailor is one of the best WRs in the league at getting first downs. He's good at both after the catch and catching the ball at the sticks. According to Sports Info Solutions, Nailor had the eighth-best first-down percentage in the league at 79.3%.
Nailor was also 24th in average depth of target and 22nd in average depth of completion, two stats that really show how much work the receiver is doing every play and a good metric for seeing just how important a receiver is to his team. Cousins is certainly excited to have Nailor.
Advertisement
Las Vegas Raiders Projected Wide Receiver Room
"I'm really excited about Jalen [Nailor], because I was with him in Minnesota, and I could see his ability," Cousins told reporters. "When you have Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, it's hard to get the ball as a receiver because you're going to target Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, and yet, every time Jalen got opportunities, he showed what he could do.
"And I think that showed even more there once I left Minnesota. But I think to have him here, and now in a bigger role, I think that's really exciting, because it allows the player to really fulfill his potential."
In 2026, it feels like the Raiders will just rely on what they have-an elite running back and the best tight end in football, with good pieces scattered around those two.
