Raiders' receiver spots are wide open

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker (1) runs the shot during the 2nd fractional of a NFL shot crippled against the Jacksonville Jaguars astatine Allegiant Stadium, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. Photo by: Wade Vandervort

Fernando Mendoza has recovered his archetypal favourite people arsenic a Raider, and it’s not idiosyncratic galore would person expected.

Relegated to playing mostly with his chap rookies and roster hopefuls during pretraining-camp practices successful May and June, the No. 1 wide NFL Draft prime developed a notable rapport with draught classmate Malik Benson. Mendoza and Benson connected connected a assortment of routes, from heavy balls to quick-read strikes, to make immoderate buzz.

“He’s going to beryllium a existent large player, man,” seasoned receiver Tre Tucker said of Benson. “He tin tally each day. He’s fast, and the champion happening astir him is he’s precise coachable and consenting to learn.”

Excitement isn’t typically this precocious for a sixth-round prime similar Benson, who finished his assemblage vocation astatine Oregon aft stints astatine Florida State and Alabama, but it’s a reflection connected the authorities of the Raiders’ receiving corps.

Playing clip is readily disposable for whomever earns it. Most would notation to receiver arsenic the Raiders’ weakest presumption group, though that mightiness beryllium a spot unfair with choky extremity Brock Bowers entrenched arsenic the undoubted focal constituent of the passing game.

But it’s apt the spot with the astir to benignant retired arsenic the Raiders statesman grooming campy with rookies similar Mendoza and Benson reporting Friday up of the afloat squad arriving Tuesday.

“There’s a batch of contention successful that receiver room,” Raiders manager Klint Kubiak said, “and whitethorn the champion antheral win.”

Kubiak spoke of an excitement to enactment with Tucker, a fourth-year Raider primitively drafted by the Dave Ziegler/Josh McDaniels regime, ever since taking the job. The 5-foot-9 speedster has been electrical astatine times, including starring the NFL with 145 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns successful a Week 3 nonaccomplishment to Washington past year, with his shiftiness and big-play quality making up for his undersized frame.

But it was funny erstwhile 1 of the Raiders’ archetypal acts of escaped agencies was signing erstwhile Minnesota Viking receiver Jalen Nailor, whose scouting illustration reads likewise to Tucker’s. The Bishop Gorman High postgraduate Nailor is somewhat bigger astatine 5-foot-11 but likewise relies much connected velocity and yards-after-catch prowess than physicality and prototypical size for his success.

Tucker has underperformed erstwhile thrust into a No. 1 receiver role, portion Nailor has ne'er gotten a changeable astatine it portion playing alongside stars Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison successful Minnesota.

But Kubiak is counting connected the brace to turn nether his tutelage, arsenic they should pb the receiving portion arsenic agelong arsenic they tin clasp disconnected the likes of Benson and second-year draught picks Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr.

“We’re conscionable trying to beryllium a full implicit room,” Nailor said. “We privation guys to beryllium capable to play each 3 positions—inside, outside, and beryllium capable to determination around. So, conscionable having that competition, we’re pushing each other. We’re conscionable trying to physique thing peculiar here.”

Thornton was mostly successful Benson’s concern a twelvemonth agone aft regularly lighting up grooming campy and earning an contiguous starting role. But his operation of velocity and size ne'er translated connected gameday, arsenic helium had a disappointing rookie season.

Bech got much accidental precocious successful the play but besides recovered it hard to shed nonrecreational antiaircraft backs, though his sure-handedness and comfortableness successful postulation provided immoderate optimism for the future.

Kubiak has talked up some Bech and Thornton and complimented them for spending overmuch of their offseason astatine the team’s Henderson headquarters.

Las Vegas besides signed peculiar teams standout receiver Dareke Young, who won the Super Bowl alongside Kubiak successful Seattle past year, successful escaped agency, arsenic good arsenic a big of undrafted rookie escaped agents astatine the position. The second radical includes a brace of Mendoza’s nationalist championship-winning teammates astatine Indiana successful E.J. Williams Jr. and Jonathan Brady.

Kubiak has already said helium expected to person 5 progressive receivers connected the roster travel gamedays. There’s a batch of enactment to beryllium done to find which 5 players volition emerge.

“That’s what’s going to marque america better,” Tucker said. “There’s nary complacency successful the room, and guys cognize that and cognize that’s what we’re retired present to do.”