The Las Vegas Raiders have upgraded their roster in a major way in free agency, as the vision of Klint Kubiak and John Spytek is starting to become clear. There are still plenty of holes to fill, but, the 2026 NFL Draft and post-June 1 roster cuts should give the brass ample chances to address their needs.
While Spytek's first draft class did not produce much as rookies, much of that blame lies with Pete Carroll. In his lone year with the Raiders, the veteran coach refused to focus on player development in an effort to attempt to compete, even when it was clear that the team was not playoff-bound.
It appears that Las Vegas will select Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick, however, it remains unclear how the rest of their draft will play out. The latest mock draft from NFL.com has remnants of Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock's tenure, leaving Raider Nation wanting more.
Raiders fans should not be thrilled with the latest four-round mock draft
The Gruden and Mayock era was defined by massive misses in the draft that ultimately hindered the team in a major way. The former leadership duo hardly ever went the "best player available" route, instead reaching to fill perceived needs, often with players from big-time programs.
NFL.com's Chad Reuter just released a new four-round mock draft, and it will give Raiders fans a bad reminder of that era.
After landing Mendoza first overall, Reuter has Las Vegas selecting former Ole Miss wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling with the 36th pick. While the wideout is a solid player with great athleticism, most have projected that he won't come off the board until Day 3. That's a big reach.
The pick is more puzzling when realizing the list of names that Reuter has the Raiders passing on, including projected first-rounders Peter Woods and Avieon Terrell. Reuter then used the No. 67 overall selection on former Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun.
While Igbinosun is not a bad player, again, he is often projected to be selected on Day 3. Plus, defensive backs such as Jalon Kilgore, Keionte Scott, Malik Muhammad, Tacario Davis, and Bud Clark all remain on the board and are widely viewed as better prospects.
Round 4's projected haul wasn't terrible, but, once again, saw the Raiders reaching for players from big programs to fill needs.
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Former Penn State defensive tackle Zane Durant was pick at No. 102, as Las Vegas passed on wide receivers Chris Brazzell II, who has been mocked as high as the late first round and is viewed as an early Day 2 pick, and Ja'Kobi Lane.
The opportunity to land a potential steal was one that the Raiders couldn't take in Reuter's mock, as they had already reached for a wide receiver on Day 2. Finally, he had Las Vegas land a pair of college teammates from the Miami Hurricanes, safety Jakobe Thomas and offensive tackle Markel Bell.
The former was yet another reach to fill a need, particularly with players such as Alabama defensive end LT Overton, Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton, and Washington running back Jonah Coleman on the board.
While Bell is often projected to be selected in the fourth round, it will be interesting to see if Spytek drafts an offensive tackle following reports that people in the building are high on last year's Day 2 pick, Charles Grant. Overall, it feels like Reuter completely misses the mark on improving the roster.
It all started with the massive reach for Stribling, resulting in the team scrambling to fill needs throughout. Fortunately, Spytek's haul should look nothing like this mock, which would have been far more likely to transpire under the Gruden-Mayock regime.
Instead, the Raiders' general manager will likely focus on drafting the best players available, particularly in the earlier rounds. As he stated at the NFL Combine, he's in the business of having really good players on the team, and practically every "best player" will fill a need.