Only two things seemed certain ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft for the Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza being selected to kick off the event, and the Silver and Black taking a wide receiver at some point in the first few rounds.
After all, the Raiders diverted a lot of their resources during the pre-draft process to meeting with players at the position who would be available at many junctures on Days 1 and 2. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that they’d add at least one in the early rounds.
They did eventually draft a young wideout, but they waited until the sixth round to do so with the selection of Oregon’s Malik Benson. To some, that was a poor decision by John Spytek. To me, however, it seems like a major vote of confidence for the Raiders’ young wide receiver corps.
Las Vegas Raiders show faith in young WR with 2026 NFL Draft choices
Spytek used a second-round pick on solid pass-catcher Jack Bech last year, and Las Vegas also took a promising player with a high ceiling in Dont’e Thornton Jr. It seems unlikely that the Raiders would give up on them after just one year.
Las Vegas also has Tre Tucker under contract, who has improved every season of his NFL career, and head coach Klint Kubiak seems excited about working with him. Plus, they invested $43.5 million this offseason in Jalen Nailor, so it is not as if the wide receiver position has been ignored or neglected.
This is a young unit with tons of potential, and perhaps the Raiders just need to be patient with them. Rarely, if ever, in recent memory have the Silver and Black developed their players and not made "win-now" moves in the offseason. But this year is a good place to start.
The Raiders aren't likely to be competing for even a division title during the 2026 NFL season, and not everything needs to come together for them this year. It's a rebuild, not a contending window. But if Las Vegas finds itself in the mix this year, I'd bet the wideout crew is performing just fine anyway.
Last year wasn't a good indicator of what Bech and Thornton Jr. are capable of, as neither were given a chance to consistently contribute. Bech caught everything that was thrown his way in his limited chances, and Thornton Jr. showed enough flashes that fans have faith in him with good coaching.
With a much better coaching staff in place and some promising young receivers already on the roster, perhaps Spytek didn't make an early wager on a wide receiver for a reason. We'll never know exactly how things went down in the war room, but this seems to be a major vote of confidence.
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