Biggest winners and losers on the Raiders after Las Vegas comes away from the 2026 NFL Draft as a much better team
The Las Vegas Raiders had one heck of an NFL Draft, but there are some losers, and there are certainly some winners.
The Las Vegas Raiders nailed their draft class. They have players who can step in and contribute right away.
But that has a trickle-down effect on the rest of the team. There are some winners and losers that come with having such a good draft class. And, when we say losers, we don’t mean these guys are lame or actual losers. They are in the NFL, so they are automatically losers. What we mean is that these guys are now more so in a losing situation on the team.
Raiders’ winners and losers after 2026 NFL Draft
Winner: Tonka Hemingway, DE
Hemingway was already going to be a winner in this new 3-4 defensive scheme. Why? Well, he’s a bit of a tweener, as in he doesn’t really fit in the edge rusher role as an outside linebacker, but he’s definitely not a full-time defensive tackle. In this scheme, he’s that 4T kind of player, or a defensive end. This would suit him better, regardless. Now, he’s even more of a winner.
During the draft, the Raiders traded away Tyree Wilson, freeing up snaps for Hemingway. On top of that, they drafted Keyron Crawford, who won’t play the same position as him in this new scheme, so Hemingway is undoubtedly a winner, and we can see more of his development.
Loser: Caleb Rogers, OG
Some Raiders media assume Trey Zuhn, the third-round pick, will be the starter. Spencer Burford, with 38 career starts, is another contender. Jordan Meredith, who was poor at center last year, performed impressively in 2024 playing guard. Some media expect Zuhn at one spot and Jackson Powers-Johnson competing for the other guard spot, but I see more uncertainty.
The key debate is whether draft status alone decides the starter, especially with experienced players also vying for spots. Regardless, it feels like this means Rogers will have even more work cut out for him than he did before. If you asked me before the draft about Rogers, I’d say he had the best chance at being the starter at a guard spot. Now, I’m not so sure that this is true.
Winner: Jack Bech, WR
Many expected the Raiders to draft a receiver earlier, but they waited until the sixth round. While Malik Benson, with a fifth-round grade, can’t automatically claim a roster spot, questions remain about Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton’s roles. Their drafting Benson late, rather than taking a wide receiver in the second or third round like most hoped and expected, tells me they think Bech is still the guy.
That’s a win for Bech—his team trusts him, and he won’t be getting replaced by a rookie receiver. Well, at least not this year. But at the same time, he still has to go out there and prove it. Last year, we didn’t see much of him, but that felt like it was due to factors beyond his control. Let’s see if the Raiders are right to believe in him as a guy.
Loser: Isaiah Pola-Mao, S
The Las Vegas Raiders desperately needed a safety, or two, who can cover. They only had three guys on the roster at the position, and none of them were very good in coverage. They went and got two guys who are elite in that area. So, this leaves Pola-Mao on the outside looking in.
He will likely lose his starting position to Treydan Stukes and may even lose more playing time to Dalton Johnson. Jeremy Chinn is the better safety when it comes to playing in the box. S, as sad as it is, we could see a lot less of the former USC safety.
