It’s one thing to stockpile rookies. It’s another to figure out when they’ll actually get on the field.
That’s the puzzle facing the Las Vegas Raiders as they head into 2026, with a rookie class that has flashed enough to create real intrigue but still needs to prove it can hold up once the games count. After an offseason of early projections and a preseason stock watch, the shape of the group is starting to come into focus.
Fernando Mendoza is the name at the center of it all. Kirk Cousins is the starting quarterback in Las Vegas, but the question hanging over the job is how long that lasts.
Mendoza wasn’t spotless in the preseason, but he looked like the kind of player the Raiders believe can eventually take over. The expectation here is that if the offense stalls early, he won’t be waiting long.
By the halfway point of the year, the rookie quarterback could be running the show, and the projection is that he starts over half of the Raiders’ games.
Treydan Stukes looks far more settled. He came across as comfortable and effective in the preseason, and barring injury or a major collapse in form, he appears headed for a major role in the secondary. The forecast has him starting all 17 games and playing more than 80% of the snaps.
The picture is much murkier for Keyron Crawford, whose season ended with an Achilles injury in the final exhibition game. He won’t play at all this preseason, and there’s no snap projection for 2026. The hope is that he comes back quickly and returns as a better version of himself in 2027.
Up front, Trey Zuhn III gives the Raiders a different kind of flexibility. Nobody knows exactly where the coaching staff will place him, but his ability to handle all five offensive line spots makes him a useful option when injuries hit.
At minimum, he should be part of special teams work on field goal and extra point units, and there’s a real chance he gets pressed into starting duty. The prediction is five starts, along with more than 50 special teams snaps.
Jermod McCoy brings a different kind of uncertainty. His talent isn’t the issue.
What matters is how much he’s shown at the NFL level so far. The view here is that he’s a future shutdown cornerback, but for now, the Raiders may lean on him more sparingly as he works his confidence back.
The projection has him under 250 defensive snaps and over 250 special teams snaps.
Mike Washington Jr. was one of the biggest surprises of the offseason, emerging as the “1B” alongside Ashton Jeanty. That matters because Klint Kubiak will want Jeanty on the field, but Washington Jr. has clearly earned a real piece of the workload.
Especially early, if Jeanty is out or easing back from injury, Washington Jr. should see plenty of action. The forecast has him playing more than 35% of the Raiders’ offensive snaps.
Dalton Johnson may not make much of a dent on defense, but special teams could be where he carves out his role. He had some encouraging preseason moments, and the expectation is that he’ll pile up a heavy workload in the kicking game. The prediction: fewer than 50 defensive snaps, but more than 300 on special teams.
Zeke Masses is still in the mix for a starting cornerback job, though Darien Porter appears to have the edge. Even so, Masses seems likely to be part of the rotation after a camp and preseason that earned him more trust. There’s a path for him to get starts on the boundary and possibly split time almost evenly with Porter as the Raiders sort out the position.
Malik Benson’s arc has been more uneven. His training camp stood out for the right reasons, but the preseason did not.
With the Raiders clearly unhappy with the wide receiver group, the regular-season personnel choices may leave Benson with very limited chances on offense. If he’s mostly used as a returner, it may not be much of a rookie season in terms of touches.
Brandon Cleveland’s path is the toughest to read. He didn’t do enough to stick on the 53-man roster, landed on the practice squad, and survived the first round of roster moves there. But with six defensive tackles already on the active roster, it’s hard to see a clean route to game-day elevation.
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