2 Raiders Picks That Could Come Back to Haunt Them
The Las Vegas Raiders had a phenomenal draft, headlined by the first overall pick. Selecting last season's Heisman winner and national championship winner makes it hard to mess up the rest of the draft.
However, even outside of the Fernando Mendoza selection, I liked the players they selected for the future. I still like their draft now that I've had time to reflect on their picks, but there are certain players they may regret passing up on. What are two draft picks that could come back to haunt them?
Second Round Selection
The Raiders selected Treydan Stukes with the sixth selection in the second round after trading down with the Houston Texans for more draft picks down the line. I really do like this selection because of Stuke's story as a walk-on and how he can impact their secondary.
They've done a lot of work to reform it, and securing their nickel back of the future is a good way to capitalize on the Taron Johnson trade they made earlier in the offseason. My biggest gripe with this selection was the players who were still on the board when they made this selection.
The Raiders didn't take a wide receiver until the sixth round, where they selected Mike Benson. They signed Jalen Nailor this offseason, but that room is far from complete. The Cleveland Browns selected Denzel Boston with the pick directly after Las Vegas, and I can't help but feel that he would've been a day-one starter for them.
I do appreciate all of the work they did, bringing in multiple defensive backs after Stukes. I just think the Raiders still lack a bona fide star in their receiver room, and while Boston fell to the second round for a reason, they didn't try very hard to address that need through the draft.
Third Round Selection
I have similar problems with their selection of Keyron Crawford in the third round. They needed an edge rusher, especially after trading away Tyree Wilson to the New Orleans Saints. And yet, I would've liked to see them take a shot at a wide receiver or offensive lineman.
Malachi Fields and Markel Bell were still on the board when they made their selection, and both would've helped this team tremendously. Shoring up the right side of the offensive line with Bell would've complemented their running-the-ball mentality. Fields has the frame to be elite at the catch point and has the potential to grow into a plus starter.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/raiders/onsi as 2 Raiders Picks That Could Come Back to Haunt Them.
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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 6:00 AM.