2 Raiders Rookies Who Were Made for This Roster

The Las Vegas Raiders have an intriguing crop of young players thanks to the draft. Which of their rookies gives them the best team fit?

Jan 4, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) carries the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders walked away from the draft as one of the biggest winners in the NFL for the simple reason that this team is in the midst of a multi-year rebuild, and they nailed nearly all of their selections.

It was known for months leading up to the draft that they would take Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick, but it's everything else that truly impressed me. Which two of their rookies fit in the best with their pre-existing roster?

Helping the Run Game

May 2, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr. (30) warms up during a Rookie Minicamp at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The Raiders had to figure out which of the running backs on their roster was going to back up Ashton Jeanty, and they landed on selecting Mike Washington Jr. in the third round. Klint Kubiak's offenses start at the line of scrimmage and by running the ball.

Pairing Jeanty's quickness with Washington Jr.'s physicality sets them up to hop on the running back trend that's taking over the NFL. Popularized recently by the Detroit Lions, the Raiders are trying to emulate what they did so well with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

Mike Washington Jr. is a bit of a boom or bust prospect, but I feel confident that he will boom in the right situation pic.twitter.com/3wnzfb2jug

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) April 11, 2026

The biggest difference is that while Washington Jr. is more of a power back, his long strides and breakaway speed give him immense upside as a fresh set of legs off the bench. Jeanty has all the tools to be their primary running back, but last year showed that he can't do it all by himself.

Washington Jr. is easily their next best running back, even as a rookie. I do think that his ceiling gets capped because of Jeanty being ahead of him in the depth chart, but in case of any unfortunate injury, I'd really like to see what he's capable of with all of their carries going his way.

Secondary Help

May 2, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders safety Treydan Stukes (31) speaks during a news conference at the team’s Rookie Minicamp at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The next-best fit is the first player the Raiders selected after drafting their franchise quarterback: safety Treydan Stukes. The Raiders' secondary has received the attention it deserves in the offseason, but one of the spots they were most vulnerable was at nickel back.

They traded for the Taron Johnson, who's a good player, but isn't a permanent solution. Stukes is a downfield tackler and isn't afraid to come up on running backs or receivers with the ball in their hands.

Treydan Stukes is an immediate game changer for the Raiders defense—reminds me of Minkah Fitzpatrick 👀 pic.twitter.com/HEp0DqAD9k

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) April 24, 2026

He also has the skills to drop back into coverage if needed. He's an extremely versatile player in their secondary, and to get that in the second round is a lot of value.