What is the story about?
I was scrolling twitter, and saw a post about ranking every first round pick since 2020, and that gave me a fun idea. The Raiders have made essentially an entire roster full of selections since 2022, taking 42 players with HALF of those coming in rounds 2, 3, and 4. Las Vegas has struggled recently, and a large part of that has been their inability to find talent in the draft, or to properly develop that talent. This list isn’t for the faint of heart, and there’s some very painful picks scattered
about. Recent trends indicate that Las Vegas may be back on track, but they will need to continue this stretch to consistently become a perennial winning franchise year after year and avoid their ways from 2018 (yes even 2019) – 2023, which was disappointing to say the least.
- Brock Bowers – Round 1, 13th Overall, 2024
- The two 2x Pro Bowler & 1x All-Pro already has 1875 yards in his career, and looks to be the focal point of the Raiders offense for the next decade or more. Bowers has the potential to be a multi time OPOY caliber of player, especially under Klint Kubiak.
I won’t rank him, but Drake Thomas would slot himself in right here (which I don’t know says more about Thomas or the Raiders draft picks but a UDFA who’s played over 1100 snaps of near All-Pro caliber LB play is an elite value player).
- The two 2x Pro Bowler & 1x All-Pro already has 1875 yards in his career, and looks to be the focal point of the Raiders offense for the next decade or more. Bowers has the potential to be a multi time OPOY caliber of player, especially under Klint Kubiak.
- Jackson Powers-Johnson – Round 2, 44th Overall, 2024
- While Powers-Johnson has been injured, he remained a projected 1st rounder who fell due to injuries. The 2nd rounder has had his ups and downs, but when healthy has played as a top 25 caliber guard and has room to continue growing in his potential. This ranking is more of a potential based ranking.
- Ashton Jeanty – Round 1, 6th Overall, 2025
- I really like Ashton Jeanty, the fact still stands that Las Vegas took a RB 6th overall over Tet McMillian, Armand Membou, Kelvin Banks, and others. Jeanty is an elite talent, but the lack of overall positional value prevents me from putting him at 2nd overall.
- Fernando Mendoza – Round 1, 1st Overall, 2026
- Mendoza can very easily be the 1st option when this is all said and done, at the moment he’s not played and likely won’t play much of his rookie season which keeps him at 4 over three other proven picks. Mendoza, like JPJ, is a projection pick.
- Tre Tucker – Round 3, 100th Overall, 2023
- Tucker has put together a strong NFL career with 1566 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 123 receptions while starting 32 games as a former 3rd rounder. He has room to continue to grow in 2026 and is just 25 years old.
- DJ Glaze – Round 3, 77th Overall, 2024
- Glaze has logged nearly 2000 career snaps at RT since coming into the NFL as a third rounder, he’s seen his ups and downs but is still young, raw, and has a ton of upside to develop into the player he shows flashes of. If Glaze can reach his potential he has the opportunity to end up a top three pick on this list.
- Dylan Parham – Round 3, 90th Overall, 2022
- While Parham’s career was filled of inconsistencies both on field, with his coaching, with his position, and more he did carve out a good NFL career for Las Vegas starting 63 games in four seasons. Parham is a starting guard in the NFL, and he will be for likely a long time. Hard to ask for much more out of a third rounder, despite him never reaching a consistent plateau.
- Darien Porter – Round 3, 68th Overall, 2025
- Porter had a good rookie season adapting to CB in the NFL, he logged 5 PBU, allowed a sub 85 QBR, and showed flashes of being a potential long term starting CB for the Raiders. He’s still raw, inexperienced, and growing into the position but there’s a lot of room for Porter to skyrocket up this list and on field.
- 8.5 – DT Jonah Laulu, 2024 Waiver Claim
- While not fully a draft pick, I need some hope here. Laulu was claimed by Las Vegas after the Colts waived him and the former 7th rounder has consistently played for Las Vegas including 700 snaps last year. Laulu isn’t a starting caliber DT, and he’s struggled to put things together consistently but there’s flashes at times. Additionally, as a 7th round waiver claim, Laulu will have a good NFL career simply as a 4th or 5th DT with positional flexibility, size, and run defense skills. If he was a true Raiders draft pick, I think I’d have placed him top 5.
- While not fully a draft pick, I need some hope here. Laulu was claimed by Las Vegas after the Colts waived him and the former 7th rounder has consistently played for Las Vegas including 700 snaps last year. Laulu isn’t a starting caliber DT, and he’s struggled to put things together consistently but there’s flashes at times. Additionally, as a 7th round waiver claim, Laulu will have a good NFL career simply as a 4th or 5th DT with positional flexibility, size, and run defense skills. If he was a true Raiders draft pick, I think I’d have placed him top 5.
- Porter had a good rookie season adapting to CB in the NFL, he logged 5 PBU, allowed a sub 85 QBR, and showed flashes of being a potential long term starting CB for the Raiders. He’s still raw, inexperienced, and growing into the position but there’s a lot of room for Porter to skyrocket up this list and on field.
- Thayer Munford – Round 7, 238th Overall, 2022
- This may come as a surprise to some, but Munford as a 7th rounder has played nearly 1300 career NFL snaps with over 1100 coming for Las Vegas. Munford filled in well for Las Vegas as a swing tackle during his 2022 to 2024 seasons before being released in 2025. He struggled at times in pass protection, but remained a quality run blocker, and for a 7th rounder turning into a plug and play starter at both LT & RT it’s hard to ask for anything more.
- Michael Mayer – Round 2, 35th Overall, 2023
- Mayer hasn’t developed into the player the Raiders likely thought he’d be after taking him 35th overall, but he’s also been held back with Brock Bowers ahead of him. Mayer is one of the best 2nd tight ends in the NFL, he’s a good blocker, can work a variety of routes on the field, and if he departs Las Vegas after 2026 should see a lot more involvement as a receiver.
- Jermod McCoy – Round 4, 122nd Overall, 2026
- I couldn’t justify McCoy higher, though I think he’ll end up possibly as the 1st or 2nd overall pick on this list in 1-2 years. McCoy is a top 10 talent, he’s a standout CB with flashes of incredible NFL caliber skills. He fell due to injury, and the 20 year old needs to stay healthy, and make sure his knee is in shape, but if so there’s a chance for McCoy to be a possible DPOY caliber player in round 4.
- Aidan O’Connell – Round 4, 135th Overall, 2023
- O’Connell could be higher, and I’d see the argument. He’s a capable QB, and in the fourth round taking a backup quarterback isn’t an issue, but the Raiders likely could’ve landed someone with a bit more current impact comparative to O’Connell. O’Connell may have already played his last snap in Las Vegas, or he’ll likely be the Raiders 3rd QB on the roster for another year.
- Tommy Eichenberg – Round 5, 148th Overall, 2024
- Eichenberg doesn’t have the stat sheet impact, but the 5th rounder has logged nearly 35 special teams tackles in two seasons with 22 alone in 2025. He’s been a Pro Bowl caliber special teamer, and has consistently helped keep what has been a very poor Raiders ST unit from being much worse. Eichenberg should have a chance to see more pure defensive snaps in 2026 as well.
- Tonka Hemingway – Round 4, 135th Overall, 2025
- Hemingway had flashes in 2025, he very easily can rise or fall on this list this coming season. The 23 year old logged 5 TFL, 4 sacks, and 9 pressures in a little under 200 snaps, and Hemingway projects as a possible starter in 2026.
- Caleb Rogers – Round 3, 98th Overall, 2025
- Rogers played just 225 snaps in 2025, and like Hemingway there was moments of positive and negative. Rogers can compete for a starting guard spot in 2026, and he has the ability to rise or fall. At worse, Rogers is a capable 6th lineman that can play all five spots.
- 15.5 – SAF Isaiah Pola-Mao – UDFA, 2022
- Who said I couldn’t have fun, ranking the draft picks was brutal, so I wanted to go through and rank some UDFA’s in here as well to show A. Las Vegas dependency on UDFA recently & B. The differences in their draft talent across the board from year to year, and the true tiers of this ranking. Pola-Mao hasn’t been great in his NFL career, but he’s played nearly 3500 snaps across ST & defense, and looks to be a key depth player in 2026.
- Who said I couldn’t have fun, ranking the draft picks was brutal, so I wanted to go through and rank some UDFA’s in here as well to show A. Las Vegas dependency on UDFA recently & B. The differences in their draft talent across the board from year to year, and the true tiers of this ranking. Pola-Mao hasn’t been great in his NFL career, but he’s played nearly 3500 snaps across ST & defense, and looks to be a key depth player in 2026.
- Rogers played just 225 snaps in 2025, and like Hemingway there was moments of positive and negative. Rogers can compete for a starting guard spot in 2026, and he has the ability to rise or fall. At worse, Rogers is a capable 6th lineman that can play all five spots.
- Treydan Stukes – Round 2, 38th Overall, 2026
- Stukes should align as the starting FS in 2026 as a rookie.
- Jack Bech – Round 2, 58th Overall, 2025
- I place Bech behind Stukes for the moment, though I imagine both will rise up this list relatively easily the next 1-2 years. Bech was limited to 225 yards in 2025, but he has been impressive in camp, and looks to possibly be a foundational player in the Raiders receiver room with a good chance at 700+ yards this season.
- Jakorian Bennett – Round 4, 104th Overall, 2023
- Bennett had a standout season in 2024, was traded to the Eagles in 2025 and didn’t play. Bennett showed flashes of being a consistent starting CB for Las Vegas prior to his trade, and he’s a question of what if.
- Cody Lindenberg – Round 7, 222nd Overall, 2025
- Lindenberg has no NFL snaps on defense, but as a 7th rounder he carved out a role on ST with 12 tackles and just 2 missed tackles. Lindenberg has a shot for actual defensive snaps in 2026.
- Charles Grant – Round 3, 99th Overall, 2025
- A project player at T, Grant sits dead middle of this list. He’s not played much in the NFL, but in his brief snaps has looked good. There’s a world where in 2-3 years Grant is being talked about as a top 5-6 pick for the Raiders in a long time, there’s also a chance he never plays for Las Vegas till 2027 or beyond, but swinging on OL with raw traits is never a bad choice.
- Mike Washington Jr – Round 4, 122nd Overall, 2026
- Washington should see a decent workload in his rookie season. A projected 3rd rounder fell to the mid 4th and compliments Ashton Jeanty well.
- Decamerion Richardson – Round 4, 112th Overall, 2024
- Richardson had a poor rookie season allowing a near 130 QBR before playing just 54 snaps in 2025. Richardson has the athletic tools, he’s smart, but extremely raw and with younger talent at DB, there’s a chance that Richardson may be out in Las Vegas, which would push him down this list pretty far.
- Amari Burney – Round 6, 203rd Overall, 2023
- Burney would go on to play 190 snaps on defense and 470 on special teams in two seasons for Las Vegas with 32 tackles, 3 TFL, a FF, and a sack. Burney wasn’t a terrible player, he struggled to find consistency, but carved a good role on special teams. He’s still around the NFL bouncing between rosters and camps, but as a 6th rounder playing in 24 games it’s not a terrible pick.
The next block of picks (24-29) is rookies or 2nd year players who saw some playtime in 2025 (Pegues). They’re ranked here more as a block between them and the next group which didn’t play, and/or were incredibly poor picks.
- Burney would go on to play 190 snaps on defense and 470 on special teams in two seasons for Las Vegas with 32 tackles, 3 TFL, a FF, and a sack. Burney wasn’t a terrible player, he struggled to find consistency, but carved a good role on special teams. He’s still around the NFL bouncing between rosters and camps, but as a 6th rounder playing in 24 games it’s not a terrible pick.
- JJ Pegues – Round 6, 180th Overall, 2025
- Keyron Crawford – Round 3, 67th Overall, 2026
- Hezekiah Masses – Round 5, 175th Overall, 2026
- Dalton Johnson – Round 5, 150th Overall, 2026
- Malik Benson – Round 6, 195th Overall, 2026
- Brandon Cleveland – Round 7, 229th Overall, 2026
- Dont’e Thornton Jr – Round 4, 108th Overall, 2025
- I have Thornton really low, but the 4th rounder was a projected mid 7th rounder in 2025 and didn’t show much in his rookie season. Thornton struggled to create separation, couldn’t haul in contested catches, wasn’t a good route runner, and overall didn’t look like an NFL receiver. Thornton will have to battle for snaps in 2026, and taking a project 3 rounds over value at WR is a tough ask for a rebuilding team.
- Matthew Butler – Round 5, 175th Overall, 2022
- Butler has 383 career defensive snaps including 215 with the Dolphins in 2025. He struggled to get on the field for Las Vegas logging just 15 tackles, a sack, and 2 QB hits in his time, but the 5th rounder was a projected 4th who fell about a round and is still hanging around the NFL.
- Zamir White – Round 4, 122nd Overall, 2022
- White showed the ability to be a capable backup RB in 2023 logging 104 attempts, 451 yards, and a TD with a 4.3 average in replace of Josh Jacobs. He didn’t see any production in 2024 as the starter, and then was benched entirely in 2025. As a 4th rounder, you need to find better value.
- Nesta Jade Silvera – Round 7, 231st Overall, 2023
- Silver ended up playing 95 snaps for the Raiders as a 7th rounder before he was released and now landed in the XFL. As a 7th rounder, it’s not a terrible pick swinging on a possible plug and play NT.
- Chris Smith – Round 5, 170th Overall, 2023
- Smith had the mental aspects to play in the NFL, but he was an exceptionally poor athlete. He played in 36 games with Las Vegas, mainly on ST where he carved out 623 snaps with 11 tackles and 7 missed tackles. Smith only played 36 defensive snaps for Las Vegas, and they drafted him with the potential to be a starter or contributor at safety. As a 5th rounder, he’s still around the NFL mainly working on ST with the Rams and Jets but they needed better value.
- 34.5 – TE Carter Runyon, 2025 UDFA
- Runyon played 55 snaps for Las Vegas last year on offense, and another 212 on special teams. He added 3 ST tackles, and did haul in 2 receptions. Runyon is big, he’s athletic, and he does a good job as a blocker. He should carve a role as the Raiders 3rd or 4th TE in the near future.
- 34.5 (part 2) – CB Greedy Vance, 2025 UDFA
- Vance played 89 defensive snaps for Las Vegas last year, he had a PBU and 2 tackles. The 5’9, 190 pound nickel cornerback did well on ST and could fight for a possible NCB job later down the line. Regardless, unlike some of those behind this list he played for Las Vegas.
- Vance played 89 defensive snaps for Las Vegas last year, he had a PBU and 2 tackles. The 5’9, 190 pound nickel cornerback did well on ST and could fight for a possible NCB job later down the line. Regardless, unlike some of those behind this list he played for Las Vegas.
- Smith had the mental aspects to play in the NFL, but he was an exceptionally poor athlete. He played in 36 games with Las Vegas, mainly on ST where he carved out 623 snaps with 11 tackles and 7 missed tackles. Smith only played 36 defensive snaps for Las Vegas, and they drafted him with the potential to be a starter or contributor at safety. As a 5th rounder, he’s still around the NFL mainly working on ST with the Rams and Jets but they needed better value.
- Cam Miller – Round 6, 215th Overall, 2025
- Miller never played for Las Vegas outside pre-season, it’s not a bad pick in any means, but ranks low due to him never providing the Raiders with value. Miller still is in the NFL on the Dolphins practice squad and has a chance to compete for their backup QB position this off-season. Taking a gamble on a backup QB in round 6 puts him higher than those after, who were less likely to make an impact.
- 35.5 – ILB Luke Masterson, 2022 UDFA
- Masterson wasn’t sensational for Las Vegas, but the UDFA did carve out a career with 37 games including 10 starts. He posted 103 tackles, 5 TFL, and 17 ST tackles. Masterson also added 2 FF, both on special teams. He’s a better value player and provided more impact, though some bad, than those that follow on this list.
- Miller never played for Las Vegas outside pre-season, it’s not a bad pick in any means, but ranks low due to him never providing the Raiders with value. Miller still is in the NFL on the Dolphins practice squad and has a chance to compete for their backup QB position this off-season. Taking a gamble on a backup QB in round 6 puts him higher than those after, who were less likely to make an impact.
- Trey Taylor – Round 7, 223rd Overall, 2024
- Taylor logged 155 ST snaps for Las Vegas in 2024, suffered a season ending injury, and hasn’t been on an NFL roster since.
- Brittain Brown – Round 7, 250th Overall, 2022
- Brown never played a snap for Las Vegas
- MJ Devonshire – Round 7, 229th Overall, 2024
- Devonshire never played a snap for Las Vegas, he’s since bounced between the Panthers, Ravens, Bills, Jets, and Packers.
- Tommy Mellott – Round 6, 213th Overall, 2025
- Mellott was an excellent athlete, I get the appeal in the 6th round to try and convert him to WR and make it work. It didn’t, and Mellot was released prior to his rookie season and then signed with the Saints practice squad over Las Vegas. As a 6th rounder it’s hard to be too mad about it, but they likely could’ve found another cheap depth WR, TE, or S instead.
- Neil Farrell, – Round 4, 126th Overall, 2022
- Farrell played just 158 snaps for Las Vegas in 2022 before he failed a physical and caused a trade to the Vikings to be dropped. Farrell then went on to play for the Chiefs, Dolphins, Lions, and is now in the XFL. As a 4th rounder you can find quality starting caliber players and Las Vegas didn’t. A huge whiff.
- Tyree Wilson – Round 1, 7th Overall, 2023
- The only thing saving Wilson from being last is Byron Young, but Wilson wasn’t great for Las Vegas. The 7th overall pick, he was a massive project, and never panned out. Wilson saw some flashes, but his lack of technique and average athleticism limited him to being a role player at EDGE mainly against the run. Wilson was then traded to New Orleans for a 5th rounder, and of the last 3-4 years of first round picks, it’s hard to argue that Wilson wasn’t one of if not the worst of them.
- 41.5 – C Will Putnam, 2024 UDFA
- Putnam hasn’t been great, but he’s been better than the last ranked player here when factoring everything together. All in all, carving out an NFL career isn’t easy, and for Putnam to do so on the offensive line is also impressive. He’s not been an NFL quality starter, but there’s a world he can continue to develop into a depth player or serve as a practice squad player.
- 41.5
- The only thing saving Wilson from being last is Byron Young, but Wilson wasn’t great for Las Vegas. The 7th overall pick, he was a massive project, and never panned out. Wilson saw some flashes, but his lack of technique and average athleticism limited him to being a role player at EDGE mainly against the run. Wilson was then traded to New Orleans for a 5th rounder, and of the last 3-4 years of first round picks, it’s hard to argue that Wilson wasn’t one of if not the worst of them.
- Byron Young – Round 3, 70th Overall, 2023
- They drafted the wrong Byron Young, Las Vegas meant to draft Rams star EDGE rusher Byron Young and accidentally selected Alabama DT Byron Young. This Byron Young was a projected 6th rounder, who went 3 rounds too high. For the simple miss on a player, over drafting, and also catastrophic level of embarrassment he ends up 42nd of 42nd.
