Hidden among the rampant ineptitude of the 2025 Las Vegas Raiders, there were actually some unheralded bright spots. On the defensive side, being one of five teams in the league that allowed less than four yards per carry, despite facing the fourth-most rushing attempts, was one of them.
It's not a stretch to say head coach Klint Kubiak took a look at that performance and decided to promote staff holdover Rob Leonard from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator. With some new pieces and a shift in scheme, things look bright for the Raiders' defense ahead of this year.
One area of the Raiders' defense that did not experience as much turnover this offseason, though, is the defensive line. So, internal improvement will be a large order, and a group of young players will be counted on to elevate their games with their former position coach now running the show.
NFL analyst labels Jonah Laulu a sneaky budding star for Las Vegas Raiders' defense
Nate Tice of Yahoo! Sports has offered a list of breakout defensive players to watch heading into the 2026 NFL season, broken down by position group. Leading the defensive tackle and defensive line group was the Raiders' Jonah Laulu, who is a sneaky budding star for the Silver and Black.
"Laulu was a former seventh-round pick who was cut in his first season by the Colts, the team that originally drafted him. Surprisingly, Laulu has established himself as a legit starter amid the chaos that we call the Las Vegas Raiders. He's a solid pass rusher who is also strong and dynamic against the run, with some flexibility in alignment, too. He's constantly around the ball as a run defender, and moves in space well when he has to track down the ball carrier.
"Laulu's surroundings, although still not amazing, have greatly improved, which should provide even more chances to make plays on the ball that he doesn't already get playing alongside Maxx Crosby. He's a fun player who can do a bit of everything from the interior."
Jonah Laulu with a little spinaroo for the sack https://t.co/9mGBx1uT7i pic.twitter.com/MEXafCZbyp
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) October 15, 2025
Laulu played in all 17 games last season, starting 15, while playing 764 defensive snaps. Pro Football Focus grades were not necessarily kind to his work, but 4.0 sacks and eight tackles for loss look pretty good. Plus, he just passed the eye test for Raider Nation.
His 19 quarterback hurries were also a top-50 number among defensive tackles with at least 128 pass rush snaps, and he recorded 22 run stops as well. That level of multi-faceted production should be coveted by the organization and is definitely worthy of some recognition.
If the Raiders can get some real pass rush push from the interior defensive line, their defense could be sneaky good this year. With another level that looks viable to reach, Laulu may be ready to lead that particular charge.
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