The Las Vegas Raiders continue to aggressively evaluate talent ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft and their latest target could help reshape the secondary. According to reports, Las Vegas is scheduled to meet with Chris Johnson next week, one of the most highly regarded defensive backs in this year\u2019s class.<\/p>\n
Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 193-pound corner out of San Diego State Aztecs football, has quickly climbed draft boards thanks to a dominant final season.<\/p>\n
Key accolades:<\/p>\n
Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year
\nAll-American honors
\nAllowed just 41.9% completion rate when targeted
\nRecorded 13 pass breakups and 4 interceptions
\nZero touchdowns allowed in 2025<\/p>\n
At just 21 years old, Johnson combines size, instincts, and athleticism earning a 9.84 Relative Athletic Score (RAS).<\/p>\n
Scouts Love His Game<\/p>\n
NFL evaluators are high on Johnson\u2019s potential. Draft analyst Jordan Reid noted he could be the third cornerback off the board, while analyst Marcus Mosher praised his film. According to Dane Brugler, Johnson is: \u201cHyperaware with instinctive eyes\u2026 should compete for a starting role on day one.\u201d<\/p>\n
His versatility stands out:<\/p>\n
Strong in man and zone coverage
\nSmooth footwork and clean mechanics
\nAbility to close quickly on throws<\/p>\n
Raiders May Need to Move Up<\/p>\n
Las Vegas currently holds the No. 36 overall pick, which could put them right on the edge of Johnson\u2019s range. If his stock continues to rise, the Raiders may need to: Trade up slightly in Round 2 to secure one of the draft\u2019s top cornerbacks.<\/p>\n
Fit in Las Vegas<\/p>\n
The Raiders have made it clear they\u2019re looking to build a more complete roster around their expected No. 1 pick, Fernando Mendoza.<\/p>\n
Adding a player like Johnson would:<\/p>\n
Strengthen the secondary immediately
\nProvide a potential Day 1 starter
\nFit a defense in need of young, athletic playmakers<\/p>\n
While there are minor concerns including physicality in run support Johnson\u2019s competitiveness and coverage ability make him one of the most intriguing defensive prospects available.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Las Vegas Raiders continue to aggressively evaluate talent ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft and their latest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":864394,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2065],"tags":[7,1744,393,2455,2454,6,525],"class_list":{"0":"post-864393","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-lasvegas","12":"tag-lasvegasraiders","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-raiders"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116389081466291176","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864393","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=864393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/864394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=864393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=864393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=864393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}