Mailbag: How many starts will Fernando Mendoza make as rookie for Las Vegas Raiders?

That being said, I loved the Day 3 haul. Taking a chance on getting a first-round talent in the fourth with Jermod McCoy is worth the risk, in my opinion, and Mike Washington was good value, too. Plus, I’m intrigued by what Hezekiah Masses can bring to the defense as a fifth-rounder, given his zone coverage and ball skills. Getting another versatile defensive back in Dalton Johnson adds depth to a position group that really needed it.

The Raiders’ roster still has some big question marks, most notably at nose tackle and wide receiver, but they weren’t going to fill every hole in one offseason, considering how many they started with. Overall, this was a good draft haul and a good offseason to kick off the rebuild.

Q: Taking into account the entirety of the offseason, what would you guess is the limiting factor on team success going into this season?

A: Youth.

John Spytek was smart to get younger players in the building, as that’s the proper way to rebuild a roster. However, that does lead to some growing pains where the immediate returns on the offseason investments will likely be low in terms of wins and losses. So it might be frustrating in 2026, but I do think the organization is building the team the right way. It just might take a year to start seeing the fruits of their labor pay off.

Q: What are the chances of Laki Tasi being the nose tackle? Do you think they didn’t prioritize defensive tackle in the draft because they see something special in Tasi?

Laki Tasi

A: The competition at nose tackle is so wide open that you could tell me any player at the position could start or get cut and I’d buy it. That’s good news for Tasi, who appears to be working with the defensive linemen during the team’s offseason workouts. However, his chances are pretty low, where JJ Pegues, Brodric Martin and Brandon Cleveland are the primary contenders. Of those three, my money is on Pegues to win the job.

Tasi has an uphill battle considering he’s barely played football, and that last season is basically a wash since he’s switching positions. Maybe he surprises us during training camp and the preseason, but there’s a reason why that would be a surprise. And no, I don’t think Tasi is the reason why Spytek didn’t prioritize defensive tackle in the draft. They haven’t even put pads on yet in Las Vegas, so if one player was the reason for that decision, it’s most likely Pegues.

Q: Do you think we are reading too much into the 3-4 need a nose tackle thing? If fronts are frequently multiple or hybrid, maybe the Raiders don’t actually need a traditionally built 3-4 front and NT. That would explain why Spytek has felt so little urgency to grab one.

A: Klink Kubiak talked about Rob Leonard’s ability to coach multiple fronts, and Leonard said a month ago on the Raiders’ YouTube channel that “we’re gonna do what we have to do to play good football” when talking about his scheme. So, maybe the plan is to be more multiple than what was originally suggested.

That being said, playing multiple fronts and being diverse would include having some 3-4 packages, and the defense could still use a gap-filler at defensive tackle regardless of even or odd fronts. Hopefully, someone steps up and emerges during training camp. Otherwise, that could be a need that leaks into 2027.

Q: What are the chances of the UDFA quarterback being the quarterback #3?

A: Keep your eyes and ears peeled for Aidan O’Connell to potentially hit the trade market if another team needs a backup. He’s on the last year of his rookie deal and, obviously, doesn’t have a future in Las Vegas. So, it would make sense for both parties to move on, giving O’Connell a fresh start somewhere else, and the Raiders get something in return for him. I wouldn’t expect anything more than a sixth- or seventh-round pick, but that’s more valuable than a quarterback who, ideally, never plays for the team next season.

But if AOC is still on the roster, Jacob Clark’s chances of being the emergency quarterback are pretty slim. It would make more sense to keep a guy who has starting and backup experience for that role than an undrafted rookie. Clark seems destined to spend at least a year on the practice squad, especially since he’s coming from Missouri State, which didn’t become an FBS program until last year.

If you’re referring to Sawyer Robertson, he’s just a rookie minicamp invite and not officially part of the UDFA class, yet. So, Clark is ahead of Robertson on the depth chart right now. If we’re being technical, the latter isn’t actually on it.

Q: Should we expect more competition to start at right tackle before the first game?

A: I could see the Raiders adding Jonah Williams or Jack Conklin to throw a well-tenured veteran in the mix at right tackle, but both of those guys are available because they struggle to stay healthy, which doesn’t get better with age.

Maybe they take a flyer on moving Taylor Decker or Cam Robinson from left to right tackle. However, I’m not a fan of moving linemen who spent their entire career on one side of the center and then switching spots at the end. That’s another injury waiting to happen, a la Donald Penn in 2018.

I think the more likely scenario is that Zuhn competes for playing time with DJ Glaze and Charles Grant. The third-round pick is a very good athlete and was elite in pass protection last season at Texas A&M. However, I am concerned that his lack of length will be a bigger issue in the NFL, and he doesn’t bring much to the running game. Also, Zuhn only took four snaps at right tackle in college, but that isn’t as big an issue for younger players. That being said, the Raiders roster has him listed as a guard, so it seems like the plan is to have him on the interior.

TraiderN

Can you rank how likely you think it is that the following players start at some point this season:

Dalton Johnson at Nickel CB

Charles Grant at RT

Laki Tasi at NT

Trey Zuhn at either Guard spot

I’d probably rank them Grant>Zuhn>Tasi>Johnson, but my hope would be all step up and play this year.

A: The only change I would make is flipping Johnson and Tasi, simply because I think Johnson has a much better chance of making the 53-man roster. Of course, that could change if Tasi’s rugby skills prove to be a more natural fit at nose during training camp. Also, it is a slim chance that Johnson gets a start at nickel, considering Taron Johnson, Jeremy Chinn and Stukes can call line up over the slot.

On a related topic, this is my way-too-early projected starting offensive line: LT Kolton Miller, LG Jackson Powers-Johnson, C Tyler Linderbaum, RG Caleb Rogers, RT Charles Grant.

Quick break, my friends at Homage have a couple of new Raiders products seen below. Follow this link to get the windbreaker, and this link for the Mendoza shirt.

NFL Starter Windbreakers

Now, back to mailbag!

Q: Which drafted player do you think has the greatest potential to surprise to the upside or downside? Who is most likely to be a Maxx Crosby diamond in the rough in the later rounds?

A: Can I cheat and say McCoy? LOL!

Removing the first-round talent, I think Masses has the best chance to be a diamond in the rough. He’s a good zone corner with great ball skills—five interceptions and 13 PBUs in 2025—to move up the depth chart faster than many expect.

On the other end of the spectrum, Crawford is my pick to disappoint. I get the idea of him, a high-level athlete who has untapped potential given his limited football experience. But I think he’s a bigger project than a lot of people realize and could see Crawford having a similar start to his career as Malcolm Koonce’s, where he doesn’t get much playing time in years one and two. That’s not ideal for a Top 75 pick.

Silvercreek65

Hi Matt,

What chances do you give the ‘Tokyo Toe’ to be our starting kicker this season? What might his range be?

Thanks.

A: I think Kansei Matsuzawa has a pretty good chance at being the Raiders’ kicker this season. Matt Gay was bad last year, going 13 of 19 (68.4 percent) on his field goal attempts in Washington before the Commanders cut him midseason. He did go four-for-four with the 49ers to get up to just under 75 percent for the year, but that’s still a pretty low rate. There’s definitely a legitimate kicker battle in Las Vegas, and that makes Matsuzawa one of the most likely undrafted free agents to make the team.

Mark Davis’ hair

How many starters do you think the raiders came away with after this draft for this upcoming year? How about 3 years from now too?

A: I don’t think it’s likely, but there is a chance the Raiders don’t have a single rookie start in Week 1. As mentioned above, Mendoza is expected to begin the year behind Cousins. Stukes either has to beat out Taron Johnson at nickel or win the free safety job over Isaiah Pola-Mao, and he has limited experience playing as a true free safety.

On top of what I just mentioned about Crawford, edge is arguably the deepest position on the roster between Maxx Crosby, Kwity Paye and Koonce. McCoy might have to take a redshirt year depending on his knee, and Washington was drafted to be the RB2 behind Jeanty.

You could make an argument that Cleveland and Trey Benson, the last two picks of the draft class, have the best chance to be a Week 1 starter since they have the paths of least resistance at nose tackle and wide receiver, respectively.

However, I do think Stukes can be the starting free safety, Mendoza will take over at some point, and if healthy, McCoy is the most talented cornerback on the roster.

As far as the three-year plan goes, on top of those guys, Crawford, Zuhn and Masses have starting potential. Johnson is on the fringe for me, but I think he’s more of a versatile backup than a true starter. Obviously, I’m not the biggest fan of all of them, but those are the picks I’d give the benefit of the doubt to, right now.

Q: How’s the salary cap after unloading Tyree Wilson’s contract?

A: Trading Wilson didn’t change much because the Raiders are taking on just under $3.8 million in dead cap, per Over The Cap. For those curious, he’s a $4.2 million cap hit for the Saints. As of May 1, Las Vegas is 13th in the NFL with $25.8 million of cap space and 17th in effective cap space at $12.9 million. The latter factors in rookie contracts that haven’t been signed yet.

Someone else asked the same question, and what the Raiders should spend the rest of it on. Remember that unused salary cap rolls over into next season, so there’s no sense in spending the money just to spend the money. That’s especially true for a team that’s rebuilding and could use the extra salary cap space in a year or two when they’re looking at being a contender. Plus, general managers like to and should leave themselves a little breathing room to sign players during the season after injuries happen.

That’ll do it for this week’s mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if you’d like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95, email them to SBPQuestions1@gmail.com or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.