Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; A Las Vegas Raiders logo at the 2024 NFL Draft at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

A Sneaky-Good Draft Idea for the Raiders

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Ezekiel Trezevant | Last updated Jan 16, 2026 9:03 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders need talent across the board, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Luckily for the Raiders, they will have ample opportunity to add talent via the NFL Draft and free agency this offseason. Las Vegas could use a productive draft to expedite its turnaround.

What the Raiders Need

The Raiders have a long way to go, but fixing their offense would be the quickest way of improving. Las Vegas has had arguably the worst offense in the National Football League over the past two seasons, they must fix the unit as a whole.

Las Vegas has enough draft picks to help make that happen. There is plenty of talent at positions of need in this year's draft for the Silver and Black to choose from.

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Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus believes Las Vegas is all but guaranteed to select quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first-round pick. However, the Raiders are short on talent at wide receiver. Chadwick believes the Raiders will handle that position group in the draft as well.

"You can almost write it in ink that the Raiders will select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick. At No. 36 overall, Las Vegas would be wise to reunite the Heisman Trophy winner with his favorite wide receiver Sarratt’s 15 receiving touchdowns this season are the most among all receivers in college football, while his 88.9 PFF receiving grade ranks sixth," Chadwick said.

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Most of the focus in Las Vegas will center on the head coach and quarterback positions, but the Raiders must use the offseason to add more talent to their wide receiver group as well. Still, Raiders General Manager John Spytek knows the Raiders must take care of the most important things first.

"The better person at the helm that you have steering that ship, my experiences is, the more successful you are. And you look at, are there two more important hires in an organization than a quarterback and a head coach? I think we probably all would agree that those two men usually steer the ship, and that's out in front of us right now," Spytek said.

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“It's about team before self. It's about discipline. It's about accountability. It's about work ethic. Winning is fun, but it comes at a price, and it is required every day, otherwise this league is far too competitive," Spytek said.

"You can feel like you're close, but if you're off by a couple different things, you can end up at three and 14, and we've got to put a process and a system in place that demands the best of our players, of our coaches, of our entire football operations, and really the entire building every day.

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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