The Las Vegas Raiders selected Arizona DB Treydan Stukes with the 38th overall pick following a trade down with the Buffalo Bills from 36 while also adding the 91st overall pick. Stukes, 24, rose up the boards quickly despite missing time in 2024 and the start of 2025 with a torn ACL. The Raiders needed to address their SAF position, seeing Isaiah Pola-Mao struggle in the role, and GM John Spytek along with HC Klint Kubiak mentioning how the room needed to be addressed.
Introduction:
Age: 24 Height: 6’1 Weight:
200 Stats: 206 tackles, 12 TFL, 7 INT, 31 PBU, 11.3% missed tackle rate | 60.4% receptrion rate (125/207), 1303 yards, 8 TD, 77.4 QBR
Positional Splits:
- FS: 217 snaps
- SS: 137 snaps
- Nickel CB: 1205 snaps
- Boundary CB: 966 snaps
- Box Defender: 155 snaps
RAS Testing:
- 4.33 40 (1.5 10-Split), 39 Vert, 10’10 Broad | 9.95 RAS
Positives:
Stukes can work between both the slot, safety, boundary CB, and the nickel as well giving him a ton of versatility that the Raiders will tap into. Stukes originally began his career as a walkon CB, before sliding into the slot in 2023, and then focusing more as a safety in 2025. He’s an elite athlete, as noticed above, and he utilizes it well. Stukes projects to be an safety & nickel defender at the NFL level, with an ability to play as a true centerfield type safety with elite athleticism. Stukes has an elite aggressive trigger, flys downhill on the ball, and his first step quickness is among the best in the class where he shows an elite ability to break on the ball and close lanes. He’s an older prospect, but his instincts, understanding of ball skills, route concepts, and passing lanes is elite and helps him dictate a way to breakdown coverages and make plays on the ball. He’s shown an elite ability to utilize leverage, the sideline, and his sideline to sideline athleticism to make plays across the field, crash passing concepts, and work off different routes. He has phenomenal hip and ankle flexibility, an elite ability to turn and run, and also shows good initial burst, recovery speed, and long speed. Stukes is an exceptional blitzer, working at both the slot and downfield, he utilize his physicality, closing speed, and tackling to slice into the backfield well and makes plays on the quarterback with 41 pressures & 5.5 sacks in his career. As a tackler, Stukes works well through contact, he has great angles, and his form is consistent which allows him to consistently clean up tackles in the open field. He’s provided an ability to work on special teams as well, with 2 blocks on kicks and punts in his career.
Weakness:
Stukes can get tripped up at times when working in the nickel, and his short area quickness is average though a move downfield to safety will help erase those concerns. Stukes also shows aggression working in the nickel on play action, and he can get beaten on double moves to the second level when working in man coverage (again something eliminated at safety. Stukes can get flat footed, and when in man coverage he’s not great at restacking the route nor using his physicality, which again will get eliminated when moved to safety. I’d like to see Stukes get better working through contact at the line of scrimmage, and he can get a little too physical getting flagged for a penalty. He is coming off the torn ACL, and didn’t participate in short area testing as well though the limitations show on film as is.
Recap:
Stukes’ biggest struggles will be eliminated when he moves backwards to safety, however he can function as a boundary CB, nickel defender, box safety, and slot cornerback providing the Raiders a ton of versatility in their secondary to line up Stukes around that of Pola-Mao, Chinn, and possibly another safety in the class. He’s an older prospect, but he’s extremely smart, and his pure understanding of the game will make a massive impact in his career. Stukes’ natural understanding of route concepts, leverage, and his ability to break off routes to find the ball will adapt to the NFL quickly. He’s likely a true centerfield safety who can align between the hashes and work sideline to sideline utilizing his ball skills, play recognition, and initial quickness to drop downhill. His experience at FS is limited, but he shows the ability to adapt, and one with his level of athleticism, play recognition, and instincts will adapt quickly. Additionally, Las Vegas will thrive with his blitzing ability, and versatility allowing him to work across the field and be put in the best situations to thrive.
