Raiders draft 2026: Trades and wide receiver position on my mind

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Arkansas Razorbacks running back Mike Washington (4) runs the ball during the college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Arkansas Razorbacks on October 11, 2025, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN. (Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Las Vegas Raiders’ 2026 draft is over. Here are some thoughts after Day 3:

Raiders’ general manager John Spytek is not afraid to wheel and deal. He showed it as a rookie GM last year when he slid down twice in the second round. This year, he took a slight trade down in the second round and then swung four trades, going up and down and even trading a player in Tyree Wilson, to New Orleans.

Spytek is still a new general manager but he is clearly confident in the draft room and has a feel for making deals.

A big storyline in the draft process was that the Raiders were studying and visiting with several top-end wide receiver prospects. In the end, the Raiders, though, didn’t address the position until the sixth round when they took Oregon’s Mailk Benson.

Like so many Raiders’ draft picks, Benson is a speedster. he could compete with 2025 fourth-round pick Dont’e Thornton for a roster spot. Benson can also return punts, which will help him.

It seems like the Raiders are good with free-agent addition Jalen Nailor and holders Tre Tucker and Jack Bech being the primary wide receivers. There are still some free-agent options such as Jauan Jennings (who played for Klint Kubiak in San Francisco), but may stick with what they got at the position.