To many, after failing to sign a wide receiver during free agency, the Las Vegas Raiders tainted their successful offseason by not drafting a pass-catcher until Round 6 of the 2026 NFL Draft. The criticism of that approach has outweighed the appreciation of the pick itself.
Oregon's Malik Benson came to Las Vegas via the 195th pick, and on paper, he seemed to provide a different element for the offense than the rest of the Raiders' wide receivers. And through rookie minicamp, OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Benson has shown signs of being a draft steal.
Between strong performances in every phase of the offseason program thus far, praise from teammates and getting noticed by reporters, the Silver and Black may have an unanticipated answer to their wide receiver issue in the late Day 3 selection.
Malik Benson shined during Las Vegas Raiders' offseason program
With the offseason program now fading into the background and training camp and preseason on the horizon, The Athletic's Sam Warren did a Raiders stock report. Benson, of course, was one of a few players whose stock rose over the last few months.
"There were signs that the Raiders might have found value in Benson. The sixth-round pick made several plays during rookie minicamp, and that extended into practices with veterans. Benson showed the ability to take the top off of defenses, getting behind the Raiders secondary on multiple occasions for big gains. His explosiveness earned him snaps with the second team during mandatory minicamp, reps as a punt and kick returner and rave reviews from his teammates."
That is, by all accounts, a tremendous thing to hear about a late-round draft pick. If Benson can even be a key contributor on special teams, that will help this Las Vegas team. But his showing serious flashes as a wide receiver is all the better for Klint Kubiak and Co.
Warren didn't want to anoint Benson just yet, though. He noted that Benson is probably still low in the pecking order in the wide receiver room, which makes sense, as Kubiak has clearly expressed the importance of how players perform when the pads come on in training camp.
"The speedy receiver isn’t going to make up for the lost output of Meyers, nor is he likely to see the field over Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech or Dont’e Thornton Jr. But his performance showed talent that’s worth developing, and the potential for production down the line."
Based on reports about Bech and limited noise about Thornton Jr., it doesn't seem crazy that Benson could sneak into a higher spot in the rotation. He started impressing at rookie minicamp and rode that momentum into OTAs, developing a rapport with Fernando Mendoza, which is incredibly important.
Again, it will matter a great deal what Benson does when live bullets start flying in late July and in August. But the rookie sixth-rounder has been a pleasant surprise for the Raiders during the offseason, and he may very well provide an unexpected answer to a longstanding problem.
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