Although Las Vegas Raiders fans know full well that the team is in the early stages of a rebuild, expectations are still somehow high. Perhaps not high in the sense that everything shows up in the win-loss column right away, but fans are anticipating some major improvements this coming fall.
Las Vegas' 2026 draft class, in particular, needs to show some stuff in Year 1 to keep Raider Nation excited about the future. Fortunately, John Spytek seems to have hit it out of the park with his 10-man class, and he drew a lot of praise for how the group came together across the three days.
And while the team's supporters are doing their best to temper expectations, ESPN, for once, is doing nothing of the sort. Their recent rookie class projections indicate that the future Silver and Black fans crave so much could actually be not all that far away.
Las Vegas Raiders' rookies projected to lead class in several stat categories
ESPN's Mike Clay recently made predictions as to which first-year players will lead the rookie class in numerous statistical categories. The Raiders had three players represented and a total of four spots taken up on the board, including two leaders.
Of course, No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza was tabbed as the class's leading passer and touchdown-thrower. Clay had Mendoza at 3,052 yards and 14 touchdowns in 14 starts, which means that not only does the Raiders' young QB play a lot, but he plays quite solidly out of the gates.
Things became more interesting when it came to rookie rushing leaders. Not only did fourth-rounder Mike Washington Jr. land third on the list, but Mendoza, again, found himself on the board in the fifth-place spot.
Washington Jr. was predicted to run for 365 yards and two scores, trailing Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Mendoza was slotted in at 226 yards and two touchdowns, trailing Love, Price, Washington Jr. and Emmett Johnson.
To cap off Las Vegas' appearances on these lists, Treydan Stukes tied for the lead in projected interceptions with 2.0. He shared the top post with blue-chippers like Caleb Downs and Mansoor Delane while inching ahead of first-rounders Dillon Thieneman and Chris Johnson.
Now, these are just projections. But they go a long way in showing just how well-perceived Spytek's second rookie class is already. And if these young Raiders can even approach this level of production and stand out among their peers as much as Clay thinks, then the future is coming soon in Las Vegas.
Add us as a preferred source on Google