ESPN’s Field Yates Says Raiders Did Something Special (Based on His Draft Board) in the First 100 Picks
The Raiders walked away from the 2026 NFL draft with a lot to feel good about and based the reaction from “experts” around the league, John Spytek and company turned in one of the best drafts in the league.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper gave the Raiders an ‘A’ grade for their efforts last week and Kiper’s colleague, Field Yates, explained on Monday why he felt particularly optimistic about the Vegas draft class.
“I thought it was a really good weekend for the Las Vegas Raiders. Mel [Kiper] always tells me the point of doing ratings is to put some stock in them after the fact. What’s the point of having ratings and then adjusting your prior opinion the day after the process is over because a guy you had 38th didn’t go till 80th, or a guy that you had 75th went 25th? You do all this work for a reason,” Yates said on the Adam Schefter Podcast.
“No team besides the Raiders had five of my top 100 players. As a matter of fact, they drafted six of my top 109. Trey Zuhn, who they took at the very end of the third, I think it was like 97th overall, was player 109 on my board. So Fernando Mendoza, that was the obvious, we all know they were going, we knew they were going to go that direction. But beyond that, the Raiders just kept chipping away.”
“The player that I think is going to define their class beyond Mendoza is Jermod McCoy,” Yates continued. “McCoy, who of course his knee caused him to drop from the 16th player on my big board overall to 101st in the draft process. Now, we’ll find out probably more information on it soon. Maybe he’s going to have a procedure before he’s able to get on the field. We’ll see. We’ll find out when that time comes. But there was a point at which the risk of Jermod McCoy’s knee health was outweighed by the reward of Jermod McCoy’s football skill. That point was well before pick 101 in my opinion.”
“So to get [McCoy] at 101st overall, along with Fernando Mendoza, they drafted teammates in Trayden Stukes and Dalton Johnson. Trey Zuhn, an offensive lineman, is going to help them alongside Tyler Linderbaum. Keyron Crawford, who Mel knows that was one of my favorite, sort of under the radar rushers. He was the more productive of the two Auburn rushers who were taken in the first 67.”
“If you just go look at my big board, other than Jermod McCoy going 101st and being ranked 16th, [players got picked] close to where I have them ranked on my big board. So I thought the Raiders had a really productive weekend, and I’m just most gratified for them that the timeline is now aligned between the coaching staff and the personnel staff.”
Kiper offered his thoughts on the Raiders’ draft on Sunday, and he agreed the Raiders did well even beyond the first pick but still has questions about the wide receiver room in Las Vegas.
“There were a lot of strong picks [after the Mendoza pick],” Kiper said of the Raiders draft.
“Treydan Stukes is a versatile safety who wears a lot of hats. He can stick with receivers in coverage (4.33-second 40-yard dash), he can hit and he can make plays on the ball (four interceptions last season). If not for a torn ACL in 2024 that cost him a chunk of that season and the first few games of 2025, he might have done enough to warrant a first-round pick. Keyron Crawford can bring some depth and juice to the edge rush.”
“Outside of Mendoza, Round 4 could define the rest of the Raiders’ draft class. To kick off Day 3, Las Vegas stopped Jermod McCoy’s slide. McCoy was in the conversation for CB1 in the class all season based on his tape and attributes. But he suffered a torn ACL in January 2025, missed the entire season and sat out the combine. I kept him at No. 29 on my board, but it’s clear teams weren’t comfortable with how the knee was progressing. When healthy, he’s excellent and picked off four passes in 2024. But will he get healthy? At this point in the draft, it’s worth finding out,” Kiper continued.
“And then Vegas picked Mike Washington Jr. Ashton Jeanty, last year’s No. 6 pick, isn’t going anywhere, but Washington can bring a speed factor to the table. The 6-1, 223-pound running back ran a scorching 4.33 in the 40 at the combine. Per ESPN Research, it tied for the fastest 40 time over the past 20 combines for players weighing at least 220 pounds (joining DK Metcalf and Isaac Guerendo). He can add a pass-catching factor on third down, too. Getting my RB3 at No. 122 is a win.”
“I do wonder where the receivers are, though. Las Vegas was working on improving the supporting cast around Mendoza, signing Kirk Cousins as a veteran mentor and Tyler Linderbaum as his new center. But the skill positions left a lot to be desired beyond the team’s past two first-round picks, tight end Brock Bowers and Jeanty. Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor are still the top two WRs on the roster. I would have thought Zachariah Branch or Antonio Williams would have been in play in Round 3.”
x: @raidersbeat
