Raiders' Rebuild Will Depend on Ability To Do 1 Thing

The Las Vegas Raiders are doing all they can to change their recent luck on the field. After years of failed free-agent moves and draft picks that did not pan out, Las Vegas looks to right the ship and get things headed in the right direction. Assembling a quality draft haul would undoubtedly help.

Raiders' Assemble Roster

The Raiders have had a bottom-tier roster for many seasons and the results have showed. Las Vegas has racked up nearly 30 losses over the past two seasons and nearly 40 over the past three seasons. A lack of talent is a significant factor in why. The draft can help fix that.

The draft requires Las Vegas to research and select correctly, all while hoping other teams do not take the players they are interested in. It is one of the draft's most significant aspects. The Raiders know exactly what they are looking for in players they hope to draft.

“We talk so much about it. They've got to love football. They need to be great teammates. It's really something that is important to Klint [Kubiak] and to myself and to really all of us up here is being a great player, person, teammate to the guy next to you; disciplined, accountable,” Raiders general manager John Spytek said.

“I mean, a lot of the buzzwords, and a passion to play for the Raiders. I think one of the really cool things about free agency that we just saw is that we had a lot of people that wanted to come here, a lot of really good players that were playing in good programs, that sought us out and wanted to be a Raider, and through the draft process, we certainly felt that this year too."

Raiders' Process

The Raiders need not only players who want to play for the Raiders, but also depth across the board on both sides of the ball. Overall, regardless of the personality traits they are looking for, the Raiders need to assemble multiple strong draft classes to rebuild the way they want.

Las Vegas' front office made it clear at the start of the offseason that they planned on thoroughly improving. It is impossible to do so, or to turn around the mess of a roster they have had over the past few seasons, without productive draft hauls. Last offseason appears to have been a good start.

Technically, the draft before that was a solid one, too. In the past two drafts, the Raiders have found a handful of starters. This includes Jackson Powers-Johnson, DJ Glaze, Ashton Jeanty, and Darien Porter. Caleb Rogers may become a starting lineman, depending on how the offseason goes.

The Raiders have already had respectable draft classes. The next part of their rebuild will be adding yet another productive draft class, preferably with a few players that can contribute immediately. If they are able to find contributors in the 2026 draft, especially on defense, they are in a good spot.

The Raiders' rebuild will take time. However, after the draft they had last season, and their start to free agency this offseason, it is fair to believe that a productive 2026 draft could move the Raiders another step ahead of where they were last season, which is the short-term goal they have.

Las Vegas' roster has a long way to go, but it has already come a long way. The Raiders simply need to keep doing what they have been doing this offseason: aggressively adding talent to their roster. The Raiders must have a strong outing in the draft.

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