Las Vegas Raiders 2026 NFL Draft Needs, Picks & Depth Chart

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No matter how well they did in free agency, all 32 NFL teams head into the 2026 NFL Draft with holes to fill on the roster.

Leading into the draft, we will identify the top needs for every team and break down the depth chart position by position.

What are the Raiders' top positions of need heading into the 2026 NFL draft?

Las Vegas Raiders Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2026

1. Quarterback
2. Safety
3. Offensive Line

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Las Vegas Raiders 2026 Draft Capital

The Raiders have the 3rd-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.

Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.

Las Vegas Raiders 2026 NFL Draft Picks

Find the complete list of Raiders draft picks in our 2026 NFL Draft order tracker.

Las Vegas Raiders Mock Draft Predictions

Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Raiders to draft:

• Brendan Donahue's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
• Ryan McCrystal's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #20 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.

Las Vegas Raiders Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Las Vegas Raiders, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback

1. Kirk Cousins
2. Aidan O’Connell

 The Raiders have chased quarterback production since moving on from Derek Carr following the 2022 season.

In 2025, their passers combined to rank 28th in the league in rating (81.5), throwing for 6.4 yards per pass attempt (27th), 9.8 yards per completion (30th), a 3.9% touchdown rate (26th), and a 3.7% interception rate (30th).

The team immediately moved on from Geno Smith following last season and is all but assuredly locked into selecting Fernando Mendoza with the first pick in the NFL Draft.

I broke down Mendoza’s collegiate profile with some added notes on his pairing with new head coach Klint Kubiak in our 2026 Draft Profiles.

Despite the expectation the team would select Mendoza, there had been consistent buzz Las Vegas wanted a veteran to work with the rookie quarterback and perhaps even open the season as the starter.

They landed that veteran by signing Kirk Cousins to a “five-year contract” that really will be a one-year, $20 million deal.

Even the one-year deal is a significant financial investment, suggesting the Raiders are serious about sitting Mendoza for at least a few games at the start of his career.

Of course, that would require Cousins to be a starting-quality quarterback himself.

33 quarterbacks qualified for passer rating last season.

Among that group, Cousins ranked:

• 29th in yards per attempt
• 28th in touchdown rate
• 27th in EPA per dropback
• 26th in success rate

Even if the initial plan is for Cousins to work ahead of Mendoza, the expectation should be for the rookie to start the vast majority, if not every game, in 2026.

Running Back

1. Ashton Jeanty
2. Dylan Laube
3. Chris Collier

This was one of the worst rushing games in the NFL a year ago.

Raiders running backs combined for:

• 3.6 yards per attempt (31st)
• -0.23 EPA per rush (32nd)
• 29.6% success rate (32nd)
• 25.7% of runs failed to gain yardage (32nd)
• 16.3% of runs gained a first down or touchdown (32nd)
• 8.8% rate of runs for 10 or more yards (25th)
• 0.61 yards before contact per rush (31st)

That is not what you want to see after using the No. 6 pick overall on a running back.

Ashton Jeanty took on the bulk of the work highlighted above.

We are going to get into the disaster that was the 2025 Las Vegas offensive line down the line, but there are reasons to keep the lights on for Jeanty.

Jeanty still accumulated 1,321 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns as a rookie.

He did manage 3.06 yards after contact per rush, which was more in the middle of the pack for high-volume running backs than completely at the bottom.

That ranked 24th out of 49 running backs with 100 or more rushes last season.

His 0.60 yards before contact per rush was 48th on that list, ahead of only Quinshon Judkins.

He still showed he can handle a heavy workload, as he did in college.

Jeanty racked up 321 touches and handled 84.3% of the backfield touches, which was second in the league behind Jonathan Taylor (84.4%).

The Raiders are committed to Jeanty, but the depth here is nonexistent.

Dylan Laube has 11 touches through two NFL seasons.

Chris Collier has 6 through two years with the Ravens and Raiders.

Even though the Raiders used premier capital on Jeanty last season, we should expect them to add another running back, whether it is with a Day 3 pick or by adding a veteran after the draft.

Kubiak has already stated that he wants to get Jeanty a “wingman.”

Wide Receiver

1. Tre Tucker
2. Jalen Nailor
3. Jack Bech
4. Dont’e Thornton
5. Dareke Young
6. Shedrick Jackson
7. Phillip Dorsett
8. Brenden Rice
9. Justin Shorter

Another area of focus for the Raiders will be continuing to upgrade their wide receiver room.

In 2025, Las Vegas wide receivers combined for:

• 148 receptions (28th)
• 1,696 receiving yards (30th)
• 55 yards per route run (28th)
• 11.5 yards per reception (29th)
• 7 touchdowns (31st)

Tre Tucker has flashed at times on his rookie contract — in Week 3 last year, he had 8 catches for 145 yards and 3 touchdowns — but he has struggled with consistency attached to poor quarterback play.

Over the past two seasons, Tucker has run the fourth-most pass routes in the NFL (1,219), but his 1.01 yards per route rank 84th out of 96 wide receivers to run 500-plus routes.

Tucker has the vertical ability to make an impact in Kubiak’s scheme, but he is not a true No. 1 receiver and is in the final year of his rookie contract.

Kubiak will look to get more out of second-year receivers Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton.

Bech was selected in the second round last season (58th overall), but he only played 37% of the offensive snaps, catching 20 passes for 224 yards and 0 touchdowns.

Thornton was selected in the fourth round (108th overall).

He played 45% of the snaps, catching only 10 of 30 targets for 135 yards and 0 touchdowns.

The team added Jalen Nailor on a three-year deal in free agency to add more experience and to push their younger receivers.

Nailor had 69 receptions for 1,066 yards and 11 touchdowns over his rookie contract with the Vikings.

The Raiders do have some luxury in having a great pass catcher at tight end, but that is one of the softer WR1-WR4 units currently in the league, and the depth beyond those four is inherently not strong if those are the guys at the front of the position.

Even if the Raiders want to give more runway to their second-year players, they should be adding more here.

Tight End

1. Brock Bowers
2. Michael Mayer
3. Carter Runyon
4. Albert Okwuegbunam

Brock Bowers caught 64 passes for 680 yards and 7 touchdowns in his second season.

He missed five games due to a PCL injury that he initially tried to play through.

There was some efficiency dip from his rookie season to last year while playing with the injury and poor offensive attachment, but Bowers is a foundational piece in the passing game.

With Bowers missing time, we got to see more out of Michael Mayer in year three.

Mayer had early-career highs in targets (50), receptions (35), and receiving yards (328) with a touchdown.

Out of 47 tight ends with 200 or more pass routes last season, Mayer was targeted on 22.7% (TE6) with 1.49 yards per route (TE18).

On 116 routes with Bowers sidelined, Mayer was targeted on 26.7% of his routes with 1.96 yards per route run.

There has been speculation of Mayer being on the trade block the past two seasons, but nothing has come from those whispers.

He enters 2026 in the final season of his rookie contract.

Offensive Line

LT: Kolton Miller, Charles Grant
LG: Spencer Burford, Jordan Meredith, Atonio Mafi, McClendon Curtis
C: Tyler Linderbaum, Will Putnam
RG: Jackson Powers-Johnson, Caleb Rogers, Layden Robinson, Laki Tasi
RT: DJ Glaze, Dalton Wagner, Joshua Miles

We have finally arrived at the unit that torpedoed this offense in 2025.

The Raiders allowed a 40.5% pressure rate (28th) and a league-high 11.1% sack rate.

They were 31st in yards before contact in the running game (0.50).

The Raiders' approach up front last season was questionable entering the year, given limited personnel and letting Brennan Carroll lead things as the offensive line coach.

There were reports after the season that the linemen were meeting with Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty without coaches in an effort to resolve blocking issues.

On top of that, the Raiders were completely decimated up front with injuries.

Their most frequently used offensive line combination last season was on the field together for 23.5% of their offensive snaps (27th).

Kolton Miller did not play a snap after Week 4 due to an ankle injury.

Jackson Powers-Johnson only played in eight games.

Right tackle DJ Glaze was the only player to play in all 17 games.

In the transition to Kubiak, the Raiders hired Rick Dennison to coach the offensive line.

Dennison is a 30-year NFL coach who was the run game coordinator with Kubiak in Seattle last season.

There is better infrastructure in place here this season, at a minimum.

Coming off their failures up front a year ago, paired with a rookie quarterback coming at pick No. 1, the Raiders immediately splurged on Tyler Linderbaum when free agency opened.

Linderbaum was the fifth-highest graded center last year per Pro Football Focus.

He was fourth in run-blocking grade at the position and only allowed 5 sacks over his four seasons with Baltimore.

Adding Linderbaum as an interior anchor and getting Miller and Powers-Johnson back on the field gives the Raiders a boost.

2025 third-round pick Caleb Rogers is expected to start at left guard as things stand.

Rogers played in the final six games last year and was serviceable, allowing a 6.2% pressure rate with only one penalty.

Miller, Powers-Johnson, Linderbaum, and Rogers are all under contract for multiple seasons.

Right tackle is the one area that remains open on paper.

After ranking as the 47th tackle in overall grade in 2024 as a rookie, Glaze dropped to 67th last season per Pro Football Focus.

Glaze was credited with allowing 10 sacks, which was the second-most in the league last season.

The player who allowed the most was Stone Forsythe (11), who was playing in place of Miller.

Las Vegas Raiders Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Las Vegas Raiders, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Defensive Line

1. Adam Butler
2. Jonah Laulu
3. J.J. Pegues
4. Thomas Booker
5. Tonka Hemingway
6. Treven Ma’ae
7. Brodric Martin

The switch to a 3-4 base defense could shake up the positional grouping for some of these players.

Notably, it might make sense to list former first-round pick Tyree Wilson with the defensive line group, but we will have to see how things shake out.

The defensive front stood up well against the run last season, finishing third in yards allowed before contact per running back rush.

Jonah Laulu, Adam Butler, and Thomas Booker led this group last season.

Butler took a step back in the sacks category, but his per-snap pressure numbers have never been great.

Laulu did end up with 4 sacks, but he was 103rd out of 108 qualified players in pressure rate, so it is unrealistic to expect him to be a consistent threat.

Unless Wilson moves inside, there does not appear to be a true difference maker in this group, and it is fair to wonder if anyone is ready to play a true nose position in three-man fronts.

That makes the defensive line a place to watch in the draft.

Edge Defenders

1. Maxx Crosby
2. Kwity Paye
3. Malcolm Koonce
4. Tyree Wilson
5. Charles Snowden
6. Brennan Jackson
7. Jahfari Harvey

The Raiders were 25th in pressure rate last season despite Maxx Crosby having yet another quality season.

As of writing, Crosby is still on the defense after the trade with the Ravens fell through, and Las Vegas added Kwity Paye to play on the other side.

Much like Crosby, Paye is solid against the run and should be able to help keep the Raiders stout up front.

Unlike Crosby, Paye has not gotten consistent pressure on the quarterback despite some good sack numbers, sporting a career 9.5% pressure rate.

Malcolm Koonce stands out as the upside possibility in this group.

Returning from a serious injury, he logged 4.5 sacks and an 11.2% pressure rate last season, but he was much better in 2023.

If he can rediscover his form, that would be a big boost to this unit.

If Crosby sticks around, the Raiders are probably set on the edge.

If Crosby is traded, this position group will once again look like a need.

Linebacker

1. Nakobe Dean
2. Quay Walker
3. Tommy Eichenberg
4. Cody Lindenberg
5. Jamin Davis
6. Segun Olubi

Las Vegas spent big on linebackers in free agency, bringing in both Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker.

Dean could be a great addition if he gets back to his 2024 form after suffering a serious knee injury in the playoffs that season.

Dean was able to return last year, but he was not quite the same player.

As for Walker, he played a lot of snaps over his rookie contract with the Packers, but he never really played at a high level.

Last season, he was 98th among 115 qualified linebackers in yards allowed per coverage snap.

The Raiders have made their moves here, but it is fair to wonder if Walker can live up to the contract.

Cornerback

1. Eric Stokes
2. Taron Johnson
3. Darien Porter
4. Decamerion Richardson
5. Chigozie Anusiem
6. Greedy Vance

The Raiders gave up 7.0 yards per attempt last season (15th) and finished with a 1.5% interception rate (26th).

Eric Stokes had a great first season in Las Vegas, allowing the second-fewest yards per coverage snap among qualified cornerbacks.

Unsurprisingly, the Raiders brought him back in free agency.

Las Vegas also added to the room in March, trading for nickel corner Taron Johnson from the Bills.

Johnson had some great seasons in Buffalo, but he is coming off a down year.

Still, it is a worthwhile pick up to see what he has in the tank.

Darien Porter played the most snaps opposite Stokes as a rookie last season.

He struggled a bit, allowing 8.3 yards per target and a 100.9 quarterback rating in his coverage, but he was a young corner getting used to the NFL.

Las Vegas is probably content with the starting trio at corner, but they could use some depth and insurance should one of the starters falter.

Safety

1. Jeremy Chinn
2. Isaiah Pola-Mao
3. Tristin McCollum

Safety stands out as a real need heading into the draft.

Jeremy Chinn is fine closer to the line of scrimmage and can hold down one of the starting spots – he was ninth among qualified defensive backs in run stuffs last season.

The other starting spot is a concern.

Isaiah Pola-Mao has struggled in coverage the last two seasons, allowing over a 120 quarterback rating and 9 touchdowns.

Free safety is arguably the biggest need on the roster outside of quarterback, and it would not be surprising if the Raiders spent their early Day 2 pick on the position.

2026 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams