EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsHENDERSON, Nev. --- The Las Vegas Raiders were presented an opportunity that didn't seem possible when the 2026 NFL draft began last week.At the start of the fourth round, former Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy was still on the board due to league-wide concerns with his knee despite being considered one of the best overall prospects and a potential first-round pick. McCoy had missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in January 2025.Las Vegas saw a chance to grab a player whom the team believed was the best cornerback in his class and agreed to trade pick No. 102 and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for the No. 101 pick -- the top selection of the fourth round -- to draft McCoy."We felt like this was a player that 32 teams were going to look at, and he'd be the same guy up on the board that kind of stuck out like a green thumb," vice president of player personnel Brandon Hunt said. "We didn't want to take a chance on missing him."McCoy was one of four defensive backs (safety Treydan Stukes, safety Dalton Johnson and cornerback Hezekiah Masses) taken with Las Vegas' 10 draft picks. Initially, it might've appeared that the Raiders would add another wide receiver early in the draft after taking quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick.Instead, they helped their new signal caller differently by improving the defense and solidifying the future of their secondary with versatile playmakers."All those guys are pretty versatile; they've played nickel, deep [safety and] outside [cornerback]," Brandon Yeargan, the director of college scouting, said. "Even Stukes has played outside corner in his career, too. So, it really helps, especially [since] we're going to have a pretty versatile scheme under [new defensive coordinator] Robbie Leonard, so that's a critical component too."Las Vegas did a good job of keeping its interest in the defensive backs in its rookie class under wraps. A fair amount of the visits that the Raiders conducted were for wide receivers and defensive tackles.Stukes, who was taken with the No. 38 overall pick, only had a formal meeting with Las Vegas at the combine. Masses said he only had a couple of phone calls with the organization. McCoy didn't hear from the Raiders until a day before the draft, when he had a Zoom meeting with defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator Joe Woods and Leonard."I didn't hear much [from the Raiders], and sometimes that's how it goes in the process," Stukes said.In reality, the need for secondary help was more important than adding another pass catcher. Last season, the Raiders struggled in pass coverage. They allowed a completion rate of 68.5% -- 29th in the league. On top of that, the depth in the secondary was fairly thin.Until the second day of the draft, the Raiders had just three safeties on the roster (Jeremy Chinn, Isaiah Pola-Mao and Tristin McCollum). At cornerback, the Raiders re-signed Eric Stokes to a three-year deal. But nickel cornerback Taron Johnson, whom they traded for during the offseason, will turn 30 in July and last year's third-round pick Darien Porter still has plenty of room to grow despite starting in 10 of 17 games as a rookie. The remaining cornerbacks on the depth chart (Decamerion Richardson, Greedy Vance and Chigozie Anusiem) played a combined 105 defensive snaps last season.By drafting McCoy and Stukes, the Raiders added a pair of starting-caliber players. The Raiders might have to be patient with McCoy since he hasn't played since 2024. The Raiders have yet to determine if McCoy will need an additional procedure on his knee, but they are confident in their medical staff to put together a good plan so that they get the best out of him. Given that McCoy is 20 and the Raiders are in the early stages of their rebuild under coach Klint Kubiak, they can be patient with the process.If McCoy pans out, he will be the biggest steal of the draft. In 2024, he showed the traits of a player who can be an All-Pro at the next level. He allowed a completion rate of 41.9% and a QBR of 15.2 when targeted. On throws between 21 and 30 air yards, McCoy gave up a completion rate of 29.4%."[McCoy is] twitchy, fast, a cover guy [and] got some punt return skills," Hunt said. "We're really excited to see what he does. And the future is bright for this guy."As for Stukes, he was a late bloomer in college, starting as a walk-on before becoming a starter for Arizona in his final three seasons. Stukes brings leadership qualities, a trait that the Raiders strongly value.He can also play multiple spots on the field. Stukes will suit best playing deep safety, given his coverage and ball skills (four interceptions and six pass breakups in 2025), but he can also provide quality support at nickel."He's got really good man-to-man coverage skills, which is hard to identify in those safeties sometimes," assistant general manager Brian Stark said. "He's a physical player, so he checks every box for the skills that you're looking for at that spot."Another element of the Raiders' struggles in pass coverage was inconsistent ball production. Las Vegas recorded eight interceptions (tied for 25th), allowed a passing touchdown to interception ratio of 2.9 (24th) and had 37 passes defended (30th). Their fortune could change in those categories moving forward after adding defensive backs with solid ball skills.McCoy, Stukes, Johnson and Masses combined for 25 interceptions and 74 pass breakups during their college career. Masses, who played three seasons at Florida International before transferring to California, had five interceptions and 14 pass breakups -- tied for the most by an FBS defender last season.The Raiders did make improvements on offense through the draft. Sixth-round pick and wide receiver Malik Benson can be a vertical threat -- he averaged 16.7 yards per catch for Oregon in 2025 -- and provide value as a returner. Offensive lineman Trey Zuhn III, a third-round pick, can compete for the starting left guard spot and can play multiple spots on the offensive line. Meanwhile, Mike Washington Jr., taken in the fourth round, has the potential to form an effective running back duo with Ashton Jeanty.Sure, it would've made a ton of sense to add a wide receiver in the second or third round, even after signing Jalen Nailor to a free agent deal. Last year, Tre Tucker led the Raiders' wideouts in receiving yards (696). Rookies Dont'e Thornton Jr. and Jack Beach combined for 356 yards, only 10 more yards than Jeanty (346).But the reality is the Raiders' rebuild will not be complete in just one draft. They did, however, make significant strides."[Our draft class has] really high floors," Hunt said. "We really think that a lot of [them] will be ready to come in and contribute."
