Straddling the line in the 2026 NFL Draft will be difficult for the Las Vegas Raiders. On one side of things, they need to find a handful of starters later this month to field a competent unit on both sides of the ball. But on the other side, John Spytek and Klint Kubiak can't lose sight of the future, either.
Rome wasn't built in a day, as they say, and the Silver and Black can't approach the event as if they need surefire solutions at every position on the roster. That's an easy way to get out over your skis, as Spytek has said before. Adding a mix of instant starters and promising projects will do just fine.
The Raiders, for the first time in a while, seem to have a coaching staff that can mold young players. With that in mind, On SI's Justin Melo listed one player that he thinks would be a great developmental fit for each NFL team. For Las Vegas, it was Stephen F. Austin cornerback Charles Demmings.
Las Vegas Raiders should take on Charles Demmings project in Round 4 of 2026 NFL Draft
Demmings isn't the most heralded cornerback in the 2026 draft class, but that is more a product of where he went to school, not how he plays the game or what he is capable of. Melo thinks that the FCS product could fit in quite nicely with the Silver and Black, who badly need cornerback depth.
"The Las Vegas Raiders need more competition at cornerback. Right now, raw sophomore Darien Porter is being penciled in as a boundary starter. Stephen F. Austin's Charles Demmings is a supremely competitive and intense player. The first Lumberjacks player in Senior Bowl history, Demmings thrived in Mobile. He's also 6-1, 193, runs 4.41, and leaps a 42-inch vertical and 11-foot broad jump with 32-inch arms."
While Porter should lock down the starting spot opposite Eric Stokes, that doesn't mean that Las Vegas won't need someone who can rotate in and spell either one of them. Decamerion Richardson hasn't found his footing, and the Raiders don't have another surefire rosterable corner in the building.
As Melo mentioned, Demmings has all the requisite tools to be a boundary corner in the NFL, and he proved that he wasn't just a small-school wonder at the Senior Bowl. While he gave up just 18 catches for 246 yards and a score in 2025, Demmings also proved that he belonged with the best of the best.
His ball skills are great, as Demmings nabbed four interceptions and had six pass breakups as a senior, adding to his college total of nine and 17, respectively. Players don't often become interception machines in the NFL after not being one in college, so Demmings has that going for him.
Obviously, he'll have a learning curve as he makes another giant leap up to professional competition. He'll also need to improve as a run supporter and in zone coverage. But Demmings is an elite athlete with great college production and experience who could really be something in the NFL.
If Stokes and Porter can lock down the boundary, as Raider Nation expects them to, then Las Vegas can comfortably develop Demmings. He should still be available in Round 4, where the Silver and Black are set to have three picks, and Demmings would, by all accounts, be a home run.