{"id":863223,"date":"2026-04-10T15:22:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T15:22:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/863223\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T15:22:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T15:22:06","slug":"the-raiders-third-round-belongs-to-one-unit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/863223\/","title":{"rendered":"The Raiders’ Third Round Belongs to One Unit"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Las Vegas Raiders need help on both sides of the ball, but with an offense-minded head coach, the expectation is that their offense will improve more quickly than the defensive side of the ball. They’ve already made plenty of improvements to their offense in free agency, but the draft is a big opportunity for them to continue to improve. <\/p>\n

John Spytek<\/a> is largely unproven when it comes to hitting on his later draft picks, even if, in the last draft class, he identified some intriguing talent outside the first two rounds. Offense needs to be a big focus for them this time around, so here are some offensive playmakers they need to target in the third round. <\/p>\n

Offense in the Third Round\"Skyler<\/p>\n

Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; UConn wideout Skyler Bell (WO05) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Raiders need to get Fernando Mendoza<\/a> more weapons on offense, and Skyler Bell is a receiver who is heading into the draft with elite FBS production behind him. There are concerns with his dropped passes, but with Mendoza’s accuracy, that problem shouldn’t be as apparent as it was in college. <\/p>\n

He’s effective in all three stages of the field, and his strong hands mean he’s capable of making tough catches. He’s a monster after the catch, which means Klint Kubiak<\/a> could use him in slant routes as early as opening day. For a receiver in the third round, it doesn’t get much better than Bell. <\/p>\n

\"Ted<\/p>\n

Jan 28, 2026; Mobile, AL, USA; American Team wide receiver Ted Hurst (7) of Georgia State works in passing drills during American Senior Bowl practice at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Bell projects to be a more complete receiver, but if Kubiak wants explosiveness out of a third-round receiver, Ted Hurst is another option they need to consider. He has a height and weight advantage over most cornerbacks he’ll go up against, but he isn’t as much of a contested catcher as one would think. <\/p>\n

However, once he gets going on a go-route, there are few who’re going to be able to keep up with his speed. He’s great at tracking the ball in the sky, and his footwork will also make him a threat to break off his defender during the start of his route. <\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Sep 13, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Gennings Dunker (67) looks on before the game against the Massachusetts Minutemen at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Tyler Linderbaum<\/a> will be an excellent center for the Raiders, but they could still use some help along the offensive line. Gennings Dunker can be a plug-and-play guard for them out of the gate, and even if his athleticism holds him back, he has plenty of experience he can rely on. <\/p>\n

The Raiders are going to want to run the ball, and he’s really good at climbing to the second level and blocking off linebackers to create rushing lanes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Las Vegas Raiders need help on both sides of the ball, but with an offense-minded head coach,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":863224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2064],"tags":[241,7,1014,262,2444,2443,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-863223","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-chargers","8":"tag-chargers","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-los-angeles","11":"tag-los-angeles-chargers","12":"tag-losangeles","13":"tag-losangeleschargers","14":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116381098696188346","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863223","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=863223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/863224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=863223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=863223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=863223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}