The Las Vegas Raiders have had a great offseason thus far after making several pivotal signings in free agency, but it needs to cap it off with an even better draft.
The Las Vegas Raiders have begun its long-awaited rebuild despite the Maxx Crosby trade with the Baltimore Ravens not going through.
Upper management cleaned house within the coaching staff and brought in one of the best young offensive minds in Super Bowl champion offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to be the next head coach and help guide the Raiders through this process.
Not only did the coaching staff get a full revamp (with the exception of a couple of coaches), but the organization made sure to use a lot of its salary cap space in free agency to shore up several holes prior to the National Football League draft next week.
The biggest roster hole that was addressed in free agency? Offensive line, specifically center. The Raiders signed the top free agent center, former Raven Tyler Linderbaum, to a three-year, $81 million deal to become the highest-paid center and offensive lineman in history, surpassing Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey’s $18 million average annual value ($27 million AAV).
Linderbaum will join left tackle Kolton Miller in being a stabilizer for this unit, but the Raiders shouldn’t stop there. Las Vegas should be adding more pieces to an offensive line that was graded as the worst in 2025 by Pro Football Focus (PFF). ESPN’s Ben Solak believes that continuing to upgrade the trenches would help the Raiders ace the upcoming draft, as well as addressing wide receiver.
We all know the No. 1 overall pick will be spent on Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, so Solak thinks we should think of the Raiders as a team looking to support a young franchise QB rather than a team with the No. 1 overall pick.
Solak believes that the Raiders may stand pat and not invest more in the offensive line. If it doesn’t, interior defensive line is an area of weakness.
“I could see Denzel Boston (Washington) as a hand-in-glove fit at No. 36 if he falls out of the first round,” Solak wrote Thursday. “Malachi Fields (Notre Dame) might be a better option at No. 67.”
Solak believes the Raiders could go after Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald or Clemson’s Peter Woods, players that would instantly uplift the defensive line room tremendously. Whether Crosby is here for the 2026 season or not, addressing the D-line is essential for Las Vegas.
As is addressing the secondary, which struggled in coverage outside of cornerback Eric Stokes. Solak thinks the team could use a mid-to-late-round pick on a depth CB to strengthen the room.
One thing’s for certain: the Raiders need to protect Mendoza and continue to add depth at most positions.