Former Oklahoma Sooners defender just tied one of Maxx Crosby’s records on the Raiders
The Raiders found their defensive tackle.
The Las Vegas Raiders capped their 2025 season with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs and secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The real story, though, was former Oklahoma Sooners DT Jonah Laulu tying a franchise record held by Maxx Crosby, marking his emergence as a key player for the team.
According to the Raiders PR team, Laulu tied the record for most tackles by a Raiders defensive lineman in his first two seasons.
“Pretty cool to even be in any type of category with him because he’s done great things since he’s been a part of this organization,” Laulu told reporters last week before tying the record. “I didn’t even know that, but I’m going to go out there and play my hardest, run to the ball like my hair is on fire because that’s the type of standard we play with here on the D line… Two tackles? Oh yeah, I got that.”
Raiders DE Maxx Crosby always knew Laulu would be special
When injuries hit the Raiders’ defensive line last season, Laulu stepped in and proved he could be a difference-maker on the field, exceeding expectations for his role.
As soon as Christian Wilkins went down for the season, the Raiders looked into Laulu. They brought him on, and he actually played very well, all things considered—making key tackles and providing stability on the defensive line. The Raiders really liked what they saw, too. The perception from everyone, the media, and fans, is that Laulu would pretty much just be a practice squad player and get called up when needed.
That was far from true—Crosby anticipated his potential.
“I can’t lie. Jonah is a special talent, dude can play. He doesn’t even know it yet, but he’s going to be a hell of a player,” defensive end Maxx Crosby said after the Raiders’ first practice of their 2025 training camp.
Laulu just finished the second season of a four-year rookie contract. If next season goes as well as this season did, he could be in for a significant pay raise.
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