As we careen towards the 2026 NFL Draft at the tail end of this month, the Las Vegas Raiders have plenty of capital to further build the roster for head coach Klint Kubiak.<\/p>\n
General manager John Spytek currently has 10 selections at his disposal to put his new rookie head coach in the best possible position to succeed. Chief among said picks is the No. 1 overall selection. The Silver & Black have three picks in the Top 100 (including the 36th and 67th overall selections) including three in the fourth round (102nd, 117th, and 134th overall), a fifth-rounder (175th), two sixth-rounders (185th and 208th) and a seventh-rounder (219th).<\/p>\n
So there\u2019s no shortage of possibilities as Las Vegas has ammo in a variety of rounds to either make a pick, move up, or move back. That all noted, let\u2019s look at some sleeper prospects who are profiled to be mid- to late-round prospects that fit Kubiak\u2019s Raiders.<\/p>\n
Adam Randall, Running Back, Clemson<\/p>\n
The Raiders went with a throwback size\/speed specimen in the 2025 draft by selecting wide receiver Dont\u2019e Thornton Jr. out of Tennessee in the fourth round. So why not go back to the size\/speed well with tailback in the later rounds?<\/p>\n
With premium size at 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds and good timed speed (4.5 second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine), Randall is a converted wide receiver that showcased an eclectic skillset in his senior year at Clemson galloping for 814 yards and 10 touchdowns on 168 carries in 13 games while adding 36 receptions for 254 yards and three more end zone visits.<\/p>\n
Projected to go in the fifth or sixth round, a creative play caller like Kubiak can take advantage of the mismatch opportunities Randall brings to the table with his size, speed, and receiving ability. He\u2019s an upright runner and still getting the nuances of playing running back. The Raiders do have a need for a complementary tailback to workhorse Ashton Jeanty. And Randall can contribute on special teams as a gunner\/return man while developing as a pro halfback.<\/p>\n
Sam Hecht, Center, Kansas State<\/p>\n
Las Vegas filled an immediate need at the pivot by inking Tyler Linderbaum to a contract that resets the center market for years to come, but quality depth behind a sure-fire starter is always important. While Hecht is missing the prototypical size and length many teams seek from the man in the middle, this 6-foot-4 and 303-pound prospect brings traits that\u2019ll appeal to Kubiak and his zone blocking scheme: Technical prowess, intelligence, and movement skills.<\/p>\n
All three make him a suited fit for the wide zone as Hecht\u2019s lateral agility and ability to get to the second level for blocks is integral to the blocking scheme being installed by Kubiak and his offensive line coach Rick Dennison. Able to diagnose pre-snap and communicate that effectively to the entire unit, Hecht is an ideal fit for a group that must be on the same page and in unison.<\/p>\n
Sure, this Kansas State product is lacking in power, frame, and length \u2014 which makes Hecht\u2019s draft projections to be a mid- to late-round prospect \u2014 but seasoning in an NFL training program can get that improved while his brains and movement skills make him an ideal pivot to backup Linderbaum.<\/p>\n
Nate Boerkircher, Tight End, Texas A&M<\/p>\n
Blocking-first tight ends aren\u2019t sexy draft picks and likely never will when you compare them to their more athletic and wide-receiver-like contemporaries. But I\u2019d argue there\u2019s nothing more alluring than the Silver & Black run game and pass protection being on point. And that\u2019s where Boerkircher can help the Raiders.<\/p>\n
One of the few true \u201cY\u201d prospects at the position, this Texas A&M product is a punishing drive blocker who welcomes contact and plays to the whistle. With good size at 6-foot-5 1\/2 and 245 pounds, Boerkircher will remind folk of former Raiders quarterback Lee Smith. Able to latch and deliver a solid punch to jolt defenders, Boerkircher is a plug-and-play inline blocker. He is a good mover who eyes the second level to get to linebackers \u2014 a must-do in Kubiak\u2019s blocking scheme.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s that perceived blocking-0nly prospect which is limiting the Texas A&M\u2019s draft projection to the fifth round. Boerkricher\u2019s collegiate production as a pass catcher is minimal \u2014 38 receptions for 417 yards and four touchdowns from 2021-24 at Nebraska and 2025 at Texas A&M \u2014 but he is a functional receiver who can improve that aspect with NFL seasoning.<\/p>\n
Jaden Dugger, Linebacker, Louisiana<\/p>\n
A Sun Belt Conference standout in 2025 that boasts ideal size at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, this inside linebacker was a splash play machine. Racking up 125 total tackles (64 solo) alongside 13 tackles for loss, four sacks, one interception, and three pass deflections for the Ragin\u2019 Cajuns.<\/p>\n
An athletic, big, and tall addition to the Raiders linebacker room is ideal for a group that requires more talent and depth. Dugger brings sideline-to-sideline speed and as a former safety, brings the cover-and-chase aspects of his game to the second level of a defense.<\/p>\n
Projected to be a seventh-round prospect, Dugger has the size and length to cut his teeth on special teams while learning the nuances of NFL linebacker.<\/p>\n
VJ Payne, Safety, Kansas State<\/p>\n
Measuring in at 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds with 33 3\/4-inch arm length, Payne checkmarks the ideal measurables box and his 4.40-second 40-yard dash time completed the size\/speed specimen categorization. Starting 42 of his career 52 games at Kansas State (2022-25), Payne is a versatile safety having played the deep free safety, box safety, and nickel defender roles during that timespan.<\/p>\n
A sideline-to-sideline talent that has the length to be a true nuisance in the pass game, Payne showcases the ability to smother receiving targets of any size. Las Vegas does have a pair of taller safeties on the roster in Jeremy Chinn and Isaiah Pola-Mao, and bringing in a big cover safety helps the Raiders defense and special teams.<\/p>\n
What limits Payne is the performance he showcased as a cover man doesn\u2019t match his run defense skillset. And therein lies the rub of why this safety is projected to be a fifth-round prospect. Despite his size, Payne shows struggles to disengage from blocks and he doesn\u2019t bring the pain as an enforcer\/tackler.<\/p>\n
Kaleb Proctor, Defensive Tackle, Southeastern Louisiana<\/p>\n
An interior linemen by trade, this 6-foot-2 and 291-pounder likely makes the shift to defensive end in the Raiders\u2019 3-4 front under defensive coordinator Rob Leonard. And this is due to Proctor\u2019s athletic traits and playmaking range.<\/p>\n
The small school product was a true terror with nine sacks and 13 tackles for loss in 2025 (16 total sacks and 26 tackles for loss in his career 2022-25) due to an explosive first step. That initial jolt along with his short-area agility makes Proctor a moveable piece. He\u2019s effective as both a pass rusher and run defender, albeit at the FCS competition level.<\/p>\n
But he is undersized and lacks the power to anchor and stand his ground \u2014 this will only become ever-present in the pros until he assimilates to NFL strength and conditioning. This is a major reason why Proctor is projected as a fifth- to sixth-round prospect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As we careen towards the 2026 NFL Draft at the tail end of this month, the Las Vegas…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":854634,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2065],"tags":[7,1744,393,86540,2492,2455,2454,6,525],"class_list":{"0":"post-854633","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-las-vegas-raiders","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-las-vegas","10":"tag-las-vegas-raiders","11":"tag-las-vegas-raiders-coaching-staff","12":"tag-las-vegas-raiders-draft","13":"tag-lasvegas","14":"tag-lasvegasraiders","15":"tag-nfl","16":"tag-raiders"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116350484034968519","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=854633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/854634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=854633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=854633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=854633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}