It’s become an annual tradition that ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler polls NFL executives, coaches and scouts to put together a list of the Top 10 players at each position heading into the upcoming season. Earlier this week, Fowler finished his rollout of each position for the 2026 campaign, and the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster has three representatives: tight end Brock Bowers, defensive end Maxx Crosby and center Tyler Linderbaum.
Here’s what was said about each player, starting with Bowers:
TE Ranking: No. 1
Bowers’
second season was marred by injuries and a porous Raiders offense. For that, he mostly gets a pass in the voting. But his second consecutive No. 1 ranking was more contested this time around, despite a respectable 64 catches for 680 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games. Last summer, Bowers fended off the field convincingly thanks to his setting an NFL rookie record with 112 catches.
“As far as route running, separation, zone instincts, yards-after-catch ability combination — he’s better than the field in those areas,” an NFL coordinator said. “A down year won’t change that.”
One sign of Bowers’ greatness: Opponents sometimes put their best cornerback on him, as Denver did with Pat Surtain II last season.
People inside the league love Bowers’ versatility as an offensive chess piece. He can line up in the slot, out wide or even as a fullback. He has breakaway speed, too, pushing a top speed of 19.58 mph on a 57-yard touchdown vs. Denver in 2024, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
EDGE Ranking: No. 4
Voters who value a complete game — relentless play from start to finish — rank Crosby very high. He has the best motor of any defensive player.
“He’s a bad motherf—er,” an NFC exec said. “Versus the run, the pass, whatever. He’s a pain in the ass all game.”
Crosby has 69.5 sacks in seven seasons, joining Greg Townsend (107.5) and Howie Long (84.0) as the only Raiders to surpass the 60-sack mark since 1982. Crosby’s 35 career games with five or more pressures since entering the league in 2019 are the most in the NFL during that span.
“You’re getting a complete body of work with Maxx; he does everything well,” an AFC executive said. “Pass rush, splash plays, great against the run, high motor, tackles in the backfield.”
One knock on Crosby: The motor that makes him great creates the threat of wear and tear. He doesn’t like to come off the field. The Ravens had concerns about his surgically repaired knee when they nixed the trade for Crosby in March.
IOL Ranking: No. 8
Linderbaum hit the market at a perfect time this March, as a rare Pro Bowl offensive lineman available in free agency. The Raiders gave him a record-shattering three-year, $81 million contract.
Linderbaum upgrades the Raiders’ offense immediately. He’s known as an elite run blocker. But in the passing game, he also ranked second among centers in pass block win rate (97.2%) last season.
“A heavy-handed center that can get to the second level,” a veteran NFL defensive coach said. “There aren’t many of those at the center position who can do that at a high level. And he can run the show from a communication standpoint.”
Despite Linderbaum’s impressive pass-blocking numbers, some coaches say he’s a liability in that area at times and can “float and help” with scheme protection instead of matching up one-on-one.
Additionally, linebacker Quay Walker earned recognition as an “honorable mention” linebacker, while running back Ashton Jeanty and offensive tackle Kolton Miller received votes, just not enough to crack the top 10. No analysis was provided for Jeanty or Miller, but an ‘NFC assistant coach’ had this to say about Walker: “The light finally came on for him last year. I thought he diagnosed the run game better than in the past. He has always been fast, long and can hit.”
In Other Raiders’ Links:
- Fernando Mendoza film breakdown: the latest edition of the ‘Mendoza Mania’ series dives into the game where the Heisman Trophy winner had his “Heisman Moment” against Penn State.
- Tonka Hemingway Year 2 bar: “Hemingway’s words on growth turned out to be prophetic as he showcased impressive pass rush chops in the final two games of the regular season where he collected three of his four sacks,” S&BP’s Ray Aspuria wrote. “He had one in a losing effort to the New York Giants in Week 17 and then two in a season-ending 14-12 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs the following week.”
- Maxx Crosby’s new music video: the song is titled “Raider Way”; could that mean something????
- Tom Brady, Fernando Mendoza release merch: “The apparel collaboration pairs all 32 NFL teams with characters from Disney’s intellectual property, with matchups inspired by team identity and fan culture,” Matthew Seeman of 3 News Las Vegas wrote. “For the Raiders, limited partner Tom Brady and rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza revealed an obvious selection: Darth Vader, the villain from the ‘Star Wars’ franchise.”
