As the Las Vegas Raiders drift further away from being a postseason hopeful and remind themselves and the fanbase that this is a rebuild, one has to start wondering if even more of the team's young players could be in line for bigger roles if the team's record keeps them outside of the playoff picture.
Klint Kubiak and John Spytek want to win now, and they still can, as they sit at 3-4 with a favorable schedule to end the campaign. But they can't make the same mistake that Pete Carroll did if the year starts to go south; the leadership tandem needs to know what it has in its youthful commodities.
Luckily, we have been keeping track of the rookie class' performances during every week of the 2026 NFL season. And after Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the grades have shifted a bit, and a newcomer was welcomed to the fold in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Raiders rookie report card after Week 7 loss to the Rams
Fernando Mendoza
N/A - Did not play
If you want in-depth analysis of how close the rookie may be to taking over for Kirk Cousins, check out our weekly Mendoza Meter.
Season GPA: 3.33 (1 game)
Treydan Stukes
Grade: D
Stukes had an uncharacteristically rough showing against the Rams on the heels of perhaps his best game as a Raider in Week 6. He bit badly on play-action to give up a touchdown, missed a tackle and was generally washed out of a few plays against the run. Stukes is capable of more, but didn't show it.
Season GPA: 2.67 (6 games)
Keyron Crawford
N/A- On season-ending IR
Trey Zuhn III
Grade:Â B+
Zuhn III only played a handful of snaps, again in jumbo packages, but I thought he had his best showing yet. Despite being super late off the line of scrimmage on one snap, Zuhn III moved defenders in the run game and also blocked well in pass protection while looking for work, too.
Season GPA: 2.53 (7 games)
Jermod McCoy
Grade:Â C+
McCoy still can't crack the cornerback rotation, but he's been steadily improving on special teams. He had an assisted tackle on special teams against Los Angeles, his first of the year. If McCoy can keep showing his effort in this phase, perhaps he will get defensive opportunities as the year drags on.
Season GPA: 1.93 (6 games)
Mike Washington Jr.
Grade: B-
Washington Jr. ran the ball six times for 27 yards, which is 4.5 yards per carry. That's good. He had a 21-yard gain. That is also good. But five of his carries went for six yards, he had no receptions, and Washington Jr. had one good and one pretty bad pass-pro rep. Mixed bag, but some good in there.
Season GPA: 2.61 (7 games)
Dalton Johnson
N/A- Did Not Play
Season GPA: 1.3 (1 game)
Zeke Masses
Grade: C+
Masses didn't give up a whole lot through the air in his 29 defensive snaps, but he did bite on play-action and give up a touchdown to one of the Rams' tight ends. As a run defender and tackler, though, Masses was great, making six total tackles without missing one. That's more good than bad.
Season GPA: 2.80 (7 games)
Malik Benson
Grade: B+
Benson only played three offensive snaps and wasn't thrown to, but he did return two punts for 26 yards - a 14- and a 12-yarder. For that, he deserves some credit and a good grade, even if his impact on the game right now is fairly minor.
Season GPA: 2.10 (7 games)
Brandon Cleveland
N/A- On practice squad
Tim Keenan III
Grade: C-
Our newcomer!
Keenan III looked like a talented seventh-round rookie making his debut with the team he didn't spend the offseason with. What I mean is that he had some good plays where he moved well and held his ground, but had some others where he got pushed around and beaten up.
Season GPA: 1.7 (1 game)
Overall takeaways: Nobody really had a good game on Sunday for the Raiders, and the rookie class was not exempt from this. But more players are starting to get involved, so it is hard to be upset about that.
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