This offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders lost nearly half of their defensive starters from last season during the free agency period. New general manager John Spytek refused to fork out big contracts in his first year at the helm, and it resulted in lots of defensive turnover for the team.
Spytek did add a handful of high-value players in free agency, like Jeremy Chinn, Elandon Roberts, Eric Stokes and Leki Fotu, to mitigate the loss of so many stars. While not all of these players are surefire starters, they are far cheaper options and could easily develop under head coach Pete Carroll and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.
Las Vegas will still need to add several players to their roster before offseason activities officially begin, and thankfully, the NFL Draft is just under a month away. Here, the team will select a handful of players from a large pool of draft-eligible prospects, but the Raiders may not have to look very far for a solution at linebacker.
UNLV's Jackson Woodard sings Raiders’ praises ahead of NFL Draft
The University of Nevada - Las Vegas football program enjoyed a resurgence the last two seasons under head coach Barry Odom. Prior to his arrival, the program had one winning season in the last 22 years and had not seen a player drafted since 2010.
However, UNLV linebacker Jackson Woodard is about to change that, as he is projected to be the first Runnin' Rebel drafted in 15 years. Woodard spoke with Nick Walters of Channel 13 News Las Vegas after UNLV's Pro Day on Monday and had nothing but good things to say about the Raiders and their staff.
"I've talked to the Raiders; Man, it'd be special to get to play for them," said Woodard. "Pete Carroll getting the job there is pretty big time, he's gonna do phenomenal things. ... Maxx Crosby, he's a phenomenal player. It'd be pretty fun to play with him. He's built the right way. ... That's somebody I'd like to be in the locker room with."
Woodard was the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 and led the conference in tackles in his final season. He totaled 135 tackles in just 14 games, as well as 17 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, four interceptions, 12 passes defended, two fumble recoveries, and a defensive touchdown.
His production was off the charts at UNLV, and he had the eighth-highest athleticism score among linebackers at the NFL combine. He could be an important piece of a Raiders defense that just lost Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo.
While the people of Las Vegas, by and large, have never been crazy about football, the presence of the Raiders and the resurgence of the Runnin' Rebels have helped put the sport at the forefront. Jackson Woodard, if selected by the Raiders, would become a hometown hero, perhaps the first of his kind, and somebody that Las Vegas could embrace.