The Las Vegas Raiders’ preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals gave the rookie class its first real stage, and the early read was a mixed bag. Some first-year players looked exactly like the staff hoped they would. Others flashed enough flaws to keep the brakes on any overreactions.
Fernando Mendoza probably helped himself more than anyone. The rookie quarterback looked calm, worked through his reads, used his legs and delivered several high-level throws. Yes, there were rookie moments - a near hospital ball, a sack and a few too many hits - but the positives outweighed the blemishes by a wide margin.
Verdict: Stock Up
Mike Washington Jr. also made a strong case for more snaps. The Arkansas product showed the size-speed combination everyone already knew about, but he added vision and patience to the picture, including a 53-yard run on a bounce.
He also held up better than expected in protection, picking up a blitz to keep Kirk Cousins clean and chipping well on another play. He even showed up as a pass-game option.
Verdict: Stock Up
Dalton Johnson was another rookie who stood out. He made three tackles, forced an incompletion and contributed on special teams, and the bigger takeaway is how many places the staff already seems willing to use him. Johnson played 11 snaps at free safety, nine in the slot, six as a linebacker and two as an edge rusher, while also appearing on five different special teams units.
Verdict: Stock Up
Trey Zuhn III turned in one of the cleaner performances of the night. He stayed at right tackle rather than moving around the line, and he handled the assignment well. Outside of one pressure allowed, there weren’t many issues in either pass protection or the run game, which is a solid showing for a player who never played on the right in college.
Verdict: Stock Up
Cian Slone, a new arrival, added his own late push. He had been drawing attention throughout training camp and backed it up in the game with a sack near the end, plus two strong run-defense plays. The chasedown tackle was the kind of effort play that stands out immediately.
Jermod McCoy had a tougher night. In his return to action after 20 months, he gave up two goal-line touchdown fades and was beaten on another reception after losing at the top of the route. Still, he was the surest tackler among the Raiders’ defensive backs, and the talent remains obvious even after a rough debut back.
Verdict: Stock Down
Zeke Masses entered the game with plenty of buzz, but the matchup didn’t go his way. He was targeted three times in man coverage and gave up all three catches for 25 yards, plus nine yards after the catch.
He did finish with four tackles, but he also missed two, and that’s a concern. If the Raiders lean heavily on man coverage, he’ll need a better answer.
Verdict: Stock Down
Keyron Crawford brought the kind of explosiveness that makes people lean in, but the tape had too many mistakes to call it a win. He gave up a catch-and-run while dropping in coverage, failed to set the edge a couple of times and missed a tackle. He was active enough with four tackles, a pressure and two run stops, but two other edge rushers at the bottom of the roster put more good plays on tape.
Verdict: Stock Down
Treydan Stukes was steady rather than splashy, which leaves him in neutral territory for now. He missed a tackle but also made a solid run stop, and the staff’s willingness to move him all over the field is hard to miss. He logged seven snaps at strong safety, three at linebacker, one in the slot, 19 at free safety and 10 across four special teams units.
Malik Benson didn’t explode, but he still gave the Raiders a usable showing at receiver. He caught two passes for 26 yards, including a 19-yarder, with one grab coming on a seam route and the other on a crosser.
He also should have drawn a PI on a back-shoulder throw from Fernando Mendoza, but the call never came. With Jack Bech turning heads, Benson’s night doesn’t scream stock up, but it wasn’t empty either.
Brandon Cleveland was part of the action on several tackles, yet he never really forced the issue. The defensive tackle group as a whole wasn’t especially sharp, so he’s still in the mix, but the opener didn’t give him much separation.
That leaves the broader picture: the rookies who helped themselves did so in different ways, whether through polish, versatility or straight-up playmaking. And for the ones who stumbled, it’s only one preseason game - but the tape is already there.
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