According to almost every expert, John Spytek hit it out of the park during the 2026 NFL Draft. It is hard to imagine a draft going much better than it did for the Las Vegas Raiders, as they got a franchise quarterback and several other starters and promising players on both sides of the ball.
While not every rookie will be called on to contribute right away, some will, and the others should carve out roles on special teams. This group is just as high character as it is versatile, which means the Raiders have interchangable pieces and don't need to worry about attitude or effort.
But Las Vegas' rookie class isn't perfect. In fact, they all have flaws, as every first-year NFL player does. Let's look at each of the Silver and Black's 10 draft picks and diagnose one potentially fatal flaw of theirs that could cause problems for them in the NFL or cause them not to live up to expectations.
One flaw for every Las Vegas Raiders 2026 rookie that could cause them problems in the NFL
Fernando Mendoza - Struggling under pressure
Mendoza, like most quarterbacks, didn't perform as well under pressure in college. Via PFF, his completion percentage dropped from 76.9% to 50.0% when pressured, and his turnover worthy play percentage doubled from 2.0% to 3.9%. The silver lining is that his big-time throw percentage tripled from 3.6% to 10.3% when pressured, and his pressure-to-sack ratio was only 15.8%, which would have been best in the NFL in 2025. He doesn't take sacks, but he must make good passing decisions.
Treydan Stukes - Playing with center of gravity too high
Stukes is a solid size for a versatile NFL defensive back, and his athleticism, instincts and experience will allow him to play multiple spots. But he won't thrive anywhere, or at least he'll take his share of bumps and bruises, unless coaches can teach him not to play so tall when backpedaling and extending for tackles. He's had success playing the way he does, but the NFL is a different beast, and Stukes needs to drop his pad level to let his other traits shine through and to hang with the big dogs.
Keyron Crawford - Failing to develop pass rush tools
Crawford has every physical tool in the book, he's an underrated run defender, and his ability to drop into coverage is a nice skill. But he hasn't been playing football all that long, and he still needs to improve his pass rush prowess at the NFL level. That's where the bread is buttered. But he doesn't have varying tempos or counters to attack offensive tackles with, and he struggles with a hand on him. Crawford must improve with this realm, or else he'll struggle to get after the quarterback.
Trey Zuhn III - Not mastering any one spot
Versatility is a great thing, and it is why the Raiders loved Zuhn III in the pre-draft process. But being a "jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none" kind of player doesn't exactly scream "starter." And you'd like to get starters in the third round. At least right away, Zuhn III figures to be the first backup rotated in at practically every position, but he needs to master one spot in order to be a long-term fixture. Yes, he can still slide around and have versatility be his calling card. But I'd like him to have a spot he's elite at.
Jermod McCoy - Injuries derailing his career
This one is simple. If his injury issues are all that they were billed to be, then that could do McCoy in. As a player, he doesn't have too many flaws, but if his career is dead upon arrival because he can't get on the field, there's not much that the Raiders can do. I'm not as worried about him getting to a second contract because he's a fourth-rounder, at the end of the day. If Las Vegas can get three very good years out of him, that's a win. But until we get there, health is his biggest question mark.
Mike Washington Jr. - Ball security
Washington Jr. has every conceivable tool to be at least a great complementary running back in the NFL, but ball security has been an issue. He fumbled 10 times in his college career, and seven times in his final two campaigns. Washington Jr. also had eight drops on just 106 targets, so he puts the ball on the ground too often. Turnovers are so pivotal that coaches won't put players out there who they can't trust to hold onto the ball. Washington Jr. needs to prove he can be relied on.
Dalton Johnson - Not gaining weight to play in the box
Johnson, like Stukes, is an incredibly versatile defensive back. But that versatility will be incredibly limited if he doesn't put on enough weight to be able to play in the box in the NFL and help out against the run. Johnson struggled at times in college getting off blocks and finishing tackles, and it'll only be tougher at the next level. Adding some mass and strength to his frame could help mitigate that and open him up to playing multiple spots in the secondary again, keeping offenses on their toes.
Hezekiah Masses - Too many penalties
Masses has some of the best pure coverage skills in the class. And his being slightly undersized doesn't bug me as much, especially because he can also play in the slot, and his instincts make up. for a lot of his physical limitations. But Masses was flagged eight times as a senior at Cal and 18 total times in four collegiate seasons. Big penalties can flip the field or change the momentum, and he can't afford to make mistakes like this. He'll need to hone his craft and technique in Las Vegas.
Malik Benson - Route-routing precision
Benson is known to be a speedster and a homerun hitter, but his route tree is actually pretty developed. He catches passes at every length of the field and can run every basic route, albeit some better than others. But being precise and selling those routes is where he needs to improve, otherwise he'll get exposed. Benson often tips off his routes or drifts and doesn't fight through contact to stay on track or commit fully when redirected. He'll need to improve on that.
Brandon Cleveland - Lack of quickness
Cleveland should mainly be a space-eating nose tackle who helps out against the run if he ever carves out a role for the Raiders. But he isn't particularly quick getting off the ball, he doesn't change directions incredibly well, and he fails to get outside blockers or seal his positioning because he just doesn't possess the quickness to get there. If he can't improve upon that, it is hard to see a role for him in Las Vegas, as he is already fairly pigeonholed as a rotational interior player.
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