A new coaching staff coming in can give incumbent players a clean slate, but it also guarantees them very little, or nothing at all in some cases. Klint Kubiak is trying to fix what one year under Pete Carroll broke completely for the Las Vegas Raiders, to the point he's literally making players earn The Shield.
But the Raiders' situation also provides an opportunity for players who seem to have little chance to make the 53-man roster. During OTAs, minicamp and training camp, there will be (and should be) a meritocracy to determine the initial active roster for the 2026 season.
Kevin Fielder of Wide Left has highlighted 10 underrated undrafted free agent rookies who could make NFL rosters this year, and he included a Raiders UDFA signee.
"(Defensive tackle) Gary Smith III will likely never offer much more than being a reliable run stopper in the NFL. The good news for Smith is that being a big body in the middle of a defense is a skill set that will continue to get players paid."
Raiders' UDFA has a genuine opportunity to crack the 53-man roster
Fielder continued with a more in-depth look at why Smith III could sneak into the building.
"While Smith doesn’t offer much athletically, his 2025 film showed more explosiveness and quickness than any other season, likely a direct byproduct of him losing 20 pounds following a season-ending injury in 2024. Even with that increased quickness, Smith’s calling card is pure strength and aggressive hands, making him an intriguing space-eating nose tackle."
Then, Fielder offered Smith's path to making the Raiders' 53-man roster.
"Although the Raiders had a reasonably good run defense last season, there isn’t a lot of talent on the Raiders’ defensive line. Players like JJ Pegues (a sixth-round pick in 2025) and Adam Butler will likely see a bulk of the playing time, but there’s a pathway for someone like Smith to crack the 53-man roster and even see playing time as a rookie if he can beat fellow rookie, seventh-round pick Brandon Cleveland, and players like former Lions, Chiefs and Steelers defensive tackle Brodric Martin."
If Pegues is the Raiders' starting nose tackle, as he is easily projected to be right now, the battle for the spot directly below him on the depth chart should be wide open, with no accounting for being drafted (Cleveland) or having a veil of experience (Martin).
If Smith dropped weight before his final college season, but he still comes in at 319 pounds. While he won't add anything of note as a pass rusher, pieces of Lance Zierlein's evaluation should excite Raiders fans about him as a big body in the middle of the defensive line.
- Built like a dump truck with a broad chest and girthy lower half
- Stay square and firm through lateral block engagements.
- Twitchy upper body allows for violent block sheds.
- Heavy base grows deep roots when taking on double teams.
- Short but peeks past the block to quickly locate the runner.
- Absorbs angle blocks and battles back into position
If you read a scouting report on a nose tackle, you wanna see phrases like "built like a dump truck", "violent block sheds," and "heavy base." That's the kind of guy who won't light up the stat sheet, but the work he does takes up interior blockers and allows others to make plays with less impediment.
Teammates and coaches take notice of guys who do the dirty work. Smith won't be able to fully show himself like that until pads come on at training camp, with preseason games as the canvas on which he could paint his case for a roster spot. But he has the materials for a potential masterpiece.
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