Quickly after Fernando Mendoza was made the No. 1 overall pick, the questions on how many teammates would be joining the Indiana Hoosiers quarterback on the Las Vegas Raiders arose.
As the seven rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft proceeded after the Silver & Black made Mendoza the top selection, nary another Hoosier was drafted.
However, post draft, Las Vegas was quick to ink Mendoza’s teammates as undrafted free agents: Running back Roman Hemby and wide receiver E.J. Williams Jr. arrived first on April
30. And five days later, wide receiver Jonathan Brady was signed after the Raiders placed wideout Justin Shorter on the reserve/injured list.
That trio of Indiana products join Mendoza as rookies, but interestingly enough, the Hoosiers on Las Vegas roster totals five — veteran tight end Ian Thomas is the other. The neophyte trio have the potential to just be more than familiar faces for Mendoza, who is is assured a roster spot on draft status alone.
Hemby, Williams, and Brady join a Raiders roster where depth and pecking order are very much up in the air. And because of that, strong showings this offseason can give them potential roster considerations — 53-man or practice squad.
Let’s start with Hemby.
The Raiders’ running back room is spearheaded by Ashton Jeanty, the team’s sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The 5-foot-8 and 208-pound Boise State product is compact, strong, and has the speed to breakaway from defenders and found the end zone a total of 10 times last season (five rushing touchdowns with an addition five end zone visits as a pass catcher), and fell short of the 1,000-yard mark rushing as a rookie by just 25 yards (975 yards on 266 carries with a long of 64 yards).
Las Vegas further bolstered the depth chart by taking Arkansas Mike Washington Jr. in the fourth round (122nd overall) in this year’s draft. The 6-foot-2 and 228-pounder is a scintillating speed back with prototypical size that is reminiscent of a former Razorback tailback that the Oakland variant of the Raiders took back in the 2008 draft: Darren McFadden. Washington profiles as a solid complementary back who can add pure speed and size as a spell back to Jeanty.
Beyond those two, however, there’s veterans Chris Collier and Dylan Laube. More of the special teams-types versus traditional tailbacks, this opens up the opportunity for Hemby to showcase he’s a better option than those two.
As a ballcarrier in Indiana’s offense, Hemby is a hard-charging bowling ball-type that is a straight-forward runner built for inside runs but with the one-cut ability to operate in zone schemes, too. The nearly 6-foot (5-foot-11 7/8) and 210-pound tailback adds another power element with three-down potential and short yardage capability heading into the NFL. And at age 23 (24 in August) would be a younger option compared to Collier and Laube. Hemby is also a willing special teamer, which is a key path f0r a roster spot as RB3 as he plays on coverage groups as well as serving as Indiana’s primary kick returner in 2025 (nine returns, 203 yards, 22.6 yards per return average).
Special teams is where Brady’s impact can be felt the most.
The 5-foot-10 and 183-pounder played with Mendoza at two different schools — Cal in 2024, Indiana this past season — and is listed as a wide receiver. But Brady is a productive return specialist too, and special teams is a path that has less obstacles on it for the undrafted free agent.
Brady, who clocked an unofficial 4.39-second 40-yard dash time at Indiana’s Pro Day, paced the Hoosiers’ punt return unit with 21 returns for 347 yards (16.5 yards per return average) and one touchdown. That average was good for sixth in the FBS and with the Raiders needing to ignite a lackluster return game, Brady bringing big-play ability to Joe DeCamillis’ unit in Las Vegas only bolsters his roster chances.
While Brady wasn’t used often in Indiana’s passing attack (14 receptions for 115 yards and three touchdowns), his highest output as a pass catcher was a 2023 season with New Mexico State (39 catches for 621 yards and four touchdowns). And at his size, Brady is likely to be relegated to slot work. Brady is also a hometown product having played his prep football at Bishop Gorman High School.
That all noted, Las Vegas pecking order at wide receiver will be determined this offseason. The Silver & Black has 12 wideouts on the 90-man roster and that figure will dwindle as the offseason progresses.
Of that dozen, Williams is one and what separates this particular Hoosier from the group is size at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. The next tallest receiver is fellow undrafted free agent Chase Roberts (BYU) with the tallest in the group 2025 fourth-round pick Dont’e Thornton Jr., who stands 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds.
At nearly 6-foot-4, Williams brings the prototypical size coaches seek from an outside receiver who uses size, balance, and hands to make a reliable target for the quarterback. With Mendoza, Williams was in a deep rotation at Indiana but hauled in 36 passes for 438 yards and six touchdowns.
Similar to former Raiders Andre Holmes and Mack Hollins, Williams is a big target with speed but that can also sink and run a full gamut route tree — something that Thornton is lacking, for example.
Williams likely needs to follow a similar path Holmes and Hollins took at shining on special teams — using his size and speed to be a gunner on kick and punt coverage units — to carve out a roster spot while earning snaps on offense. He does have a knack for finding soft spots against the defense and providing a reliable pass catcher for his quarterbacks and has shown the ability to track and haul in deep passes. Being able to do all that and shed tacklers for yards after the catch (YAC) is what will truly draw the eyes of Raiders head coach and offensive play caller Klint Kubiak.
