Las Vegas Raiders' biggest draft needs in the 2026 NFL Draft: Finding a way to start fixing the disaster

Cornerback

Right now, Eric Stokes is the best cornerback on the team, with guys like Kyu Blu Kelly getting starts after consistently getting burnt for touchdowns. If Stokes is your best cornerback, that's not necessarily a good thing. Darnay Holmes, being the second-best guy in that room, isn't a good thing either.

Rookie Darien Porter hasn't played enough to have any sort of opinion on him, but it's obvious that the Raiders need some help there. Their defensive line is good, not great, but good. When they're healthy, the defensive line can be great. However, this team needs to be able to cover, or none of that even matters. This 2026 NFL Draft class could have some very solid CBs in it, too.

Wide receiver

I get it, this one is a bit weird because the Raiders just drafted two wide receivers. But, they are expecting to lose Jakobi Meyers, whether it's at the trade deadline or at the end of the season, and that's a ton of production you are having to find. To make Smith successful, you have to put as many weapons around him as you possibly can.

Dont'e Thornton Jr. hasn't hit yet, and Jack Bech hasn't seen the field enough. Tre Tucker is emerging as the No. 1 receiver, and then there is, of course, Brock Bowers. They need one more guy in that room. However, considering what they just did in the 2025 NFL Draft, this may be near the bottom of their needs.

Defensive line

This is one of the best or only good parts of their current defense, but it could only get worse from here on out. Malcolm Koonce is on a one-year deal, and he hasn't exactly produced as much as the Raiders hoped he would coming back from an ACL injury. Tyree Wilson was drafted by a different regime, two regimes ago, and still isn't producing after being a top pick in the draft. His contract will be up in 2026. The depth is not that great, so when Maxx Crosby and Adam Butler are hurt, there isn't much to be happy about. Now, whether it's the edge rusher position or the defensive tackle position, they have to address it somehow in the draft.

This is a team that Pete Carroll wants to build in the trenches, so they will take one of the two, or even both, in the 2026 NFL Draft. The raiders have the worst coverage grade in football, per PFF, but a lot of that is because of the pass rush not getting home enough. If they address both positions and give some depth, or even starter-level guys that are better than Koonce and Wilson, they will be solid there. I can't see them drafting a defensive tackle high after taking both J.J. Pegues and Tonka Hemingway last season in the draft. Then they traded for Thomas Booker. The edge position seems to be the way they need to attack. Crosby needs some help, because they're not trading him anytime soon.

Honorable Mention: Linebacker (Coverage)

The Raiders signed Elandon Roberts and Devin White to be their run stoppers at the position. And, they have done well there. However, they still don't have anyone at the position who can cover. But, they seem to like Jamal Adams at the position, along with Tommy Eichenberg and Cody Lindenberg. So, whether they even address it or not is a big question.

I know what you're thinking, this is almost every position group there is. And, yes, you're right. But this is a really bad football team, a disaster of one, actually. If the Raiders want to play a certain way, they have to get players who can play that way.

window.addEventListener('message', function (event) {if (event.data.totalpoll && event.data.totalpoll.action === 'resizeHeight') {document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-365').height = event.data.totalpoll.value;}}, false);document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-365').contentWindow.postMessage({totalpoll: {action: 'requestHeight'}}, '*');