The Las Vegas Raiders may have been one of the worst teams in the NFL over the last few seasons but are on the come-up with a great young core.
The Las Vegas Raiders may have had a terrible 2025 season and haven’t been to the playoffs since 2021, but the amount of young talent the organization has will set the them up for a lot of success in the coming years.
The suffering can only go on for so long, and it appears that the worst of it is over for the Raiders after drafting a franchise quarterback amid a great draft as well as bringing in plenty of quality free agents to fill in some gaps.
Fernando Mendoza is one of three “blue chip” players on Las Vegas’ young roster that has them ranked sixth on ESPN’s under-25 talent list, joining running back Ashton Jeanty and All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers.
“We start with No. 1 pick Mendoza, who will turn 23 on Oct. 1,” ESPN’s Aaron Schatz wrote Wednesday. “He comes into Las Vegas with high expectations after leading Indiana to its first national championship. Once he is firmly the QB1, he'll be handing the ball off to 22-year-old Jeanty and throwing it to three 23-year-olds: Bowers and wide receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr.”
Although Bech and Thornton aren’t considered blue chips like Mendoza, Jeanty and Bowers, they fit the bill of talented players under 25 that will have a growing impact on this team.
The rankings were determined by several factors including starts and snaps, quality of play, position, draft value added within first three rounds of 2026 draft and expected starters.
Bech didn’t have much of a role on last year’s team, but he began to get some more run towards the end of the season, including a six-reception, 50-yard game against the Denver Broncos.
Thornton is a strong, fast and tall receiver who has the tools to be a solid receiver in the NFL and should get more of a chance with new head coach Klint Kubiak calling plays.
Schatz points out that the offensive line has several players under 25 that either made an impact last season and/or will continue to fight for playing time: guard Jackson Powers-Johnson (23), tackle DJ Glaze (24 in August), tackle Charles Grant (24) and guard Caleb Rogers (24).
Schatz mentions that a lot of free agent acquisitions were older defensive players, but the Raiders also drafted a lot of high-upside defenders in the draft as well.
“Second-round cornerback Treydan Stukes will be 25 on Sept. 11, so he almost didn't count for the Raiders, but fourth-round cornerback Jermod McCoy doesn't turn 21 until Aug. 16.”
Stukes has first-round talent and so does McCoy, but McCoy fell down draft boards due to a concerning knee injury.
Even if the Raiders don’t make the playoffs this season, the foundation is set and this team is bound to take off within the next two years.
