If you haven't heard by now, the Las Vegas Raiders were front and center of one of the wildest offseason twists this century.
With the Baltimore Ravens having backed out of the initial Maxx Crosby trade, only to go and sign Trey Hendrickson to a massive deal, the Raiders are left in a weird spot. Many wonder if they'll opt to keep him, in the end, or if they'll still choose to trade him elsewhere.
As the Raiders gear up for the 2026 NFL Draft, we are doing the same. And, despite some doubts around another Crosby deal, that's exactly where we start in our latest mock.
Raiders waste no time finding Maxx Crosby trade partner in 3-Round mock draft
Although the Dallas Cowboys are a hot name to watch, among a couple of others, the Chicago Bears swoop in and snag Crosby from the Raiders at a slightly different price tag, but still a strong haul for the Raiders.
The Bears have been quiet in terms of the edge market, so it makes sense for them to go hard after Crosby at this point. Maybe, just maybe, Chicago includes a little more if need be. But, the Bears are a sensible landing spot as they desperately need help at the position.
And, we can skip right to the first overall pick from there.
This pick needs very little explaining. Fernando Mendoza has been a Raider for a long time, now. Ever since Las Vegas knew they'd have the no. 1 overall pick, it was a foregone conclusion.
We don't need to go over this one a whole lot.
With the pick acquired from the Bears, Las Vegas goes after a number one wide receiver for Mendoza by selecting Washington's Denzel Boston. The Raiders have some other weapons with different strengths, but they still lack someone with the potential to be their alpha.
Boston stands 6-foot-4, 212 pounds and draws comparisons to the likes of Puka Nacua, which should be enough to get Raiders fans on board. He is known for having strong ball skills. He's physical, which makes sense considering his frame, and he's a menace after the catch.
Las Vegas gets their alpha, here, and the state of this franchise has been drastically shifted in a matter of one round.
At pick no. 36, in the second round, the Raiders get one of the draft's most versatile and exciting players. Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is another big body, as he stands over 6-foot-3. At the safety position, he's a tower.
McNeil-Warren is another prospect with a physical edge to his game. He's an enforcer and is no stranger to contact when helping against the run. The Raiders get someone who is a sure tackler, willing to lay the wood on ball carriers and also knows how to take the ball away.
Throughout his college career, McNeil-Warren has tallied five interceptions and nine forced fumbles.
We round out our latest mock by giving the Raiders an interior offensive lineman in Georgia Tech's Keylan Rutledge. At this spot in the draft, Las Vegas could be hoping for one of a couple different names, and Rutledge happened to be the best available here.
Rutledge is one of the more athletic interior linemen in this class, which makes him very appealing, especially in Round 3. Add in the overall strength and mauler mentality, and you've got something to work with here.
The theme with these players not named Mendoza has been physicality, and Rutlege brings that as well. He's going to let his man know of his presence. Rutledge finishes reps strong and isn't one who exits a block early.