As we approach the 2026 NFL Draft, I have broken down each position group with targets for the Las Vegas Raiders, and much more.

I recently broke down the potential 1st to 4th round options, along with the options for them in the nickel. Las Vegas returns Eric Stokes & Darien Porter, both of which flashes last season, and Porter received high praise from general manager John Spytek this off-season, who expects the 2025 3rd rounder to take a massive leap. In addition, Eric Stokes is coming off a breakout season, and he should continue his form in 2026 and beyond. The key for the Raiders will be adding depth, as they lack much beyond their starters and Decamerion Richardson, so finding key cheap depth with upside is key.

HT: 6’0 | WT: 195 | Games: 34Career: 88 tackles, 5 TFL, 2 INT, 22 PBU, 13% missed tackle rate | 55.6% reception rate (60/108), 757 yards, 7 TD, 91.5 QBR allowedTesting: 39.5 Vert, 10’05 Broad | N/A RAS

Dixon worked his way to UNC after being a standout JUCO CB, then Washington, and finally landing at UNC. He has a good build, and shows fluid natural instincts the position. Dixon works best in zone coverage, he has a quick first step, and he’ll sit, read and react well. He shows an ability to break off concepts, drive on the ball, and he has natural ball skills. Dixon pairs this with a good feel for the position, and a natural understanding of passing lanes, passing concepts, and how to read a quarterback which allows him to react to the ball and create a play. His ball tracking is elite, Dixon plays physical, and he’s not afraid to get his hand/body into the point of attack. He’s shown a knack to work at the nickel, and the boundary, with his best film coming on the boundary or a free safety role. Dixon doesn’t have elite long speed, he’s very much an initial acceleration winner, and he will struggle to turn and run at times where he trips himself up trying to get the extra step. He’s an ankle biter defensively, and he’ll need to be more aggressive, utilize his hands more, and also add some mass to help him drive defenders down. Dixon projects as a project corner, and in zone, heavy cover three systems he can translate as a versatile third or fourth option who can have a good couple plays on the ball.

HT: 5’11 | WT: 180 | Games: 42Career: 110 tackles, 3 INT (2 TD), 27 PBU, 2 FF, 11% missed tackle rate | 45.5% reception rate (51/112), 725 yards, 3 TD, 64.8 QBR allowedTesting: 4.45 40 (1.56 10-Split), 31.5 Vert, 10’04 Broad, 4.54 Shuttle, 7.28 3-Cone | 4.34 RAS

Austin started his career at JMU then a transfer to USF, and finally his last season at Cal where he blossomed with 13 PBU, 2 FF, and a 71.8 QBR allowed. Austin shows natural instincts at the position which pairs well with his first step, an ability to come downhill, break on concepts, and close gaps is elite. Austin shows great initial twitch and burst, he works well to anticipate throws, come across a field, and also undercut routes. Austin shows good long speed, he has elite makeup speed, and he plays with pretty fluid hips and ankles allowing him to stay patient, turn and run, and also break out of concepts. Austin is a good sound tackler, he’s small but uses his full body, plays physical, and doesn’t get pushed around by receivers due to an aggressive nature. Austin stays physical in the route, is aggressive at the catch point, and he will consistently adjust to the ball to try and make a play in the air. Austin works in man and zone, but he’s best in zone, where his aggression and ball skills do get him caught at times working on double moves, false hitches, and he can be slow to react to out routes trying to bait the ball which causes a completion. He struggles vs bigger receivers, despite playing out of his frame, and he’ll get boxed out or out physical early into the rep. Austin can be a phenomenal corner in zone, and projects as a great day three addition, his natural burst, instincts, and ball skills will pair well to NFL success.

HT: 5’10 | WT: 195 | Games: 47Career: 134 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 4 INT, 30 PBU, 2 FF, 11.3% missed tackle rate | 49% reception rate (87/177), 929 yards, 5 TD, 64.9 QBR allowedTesting: 4.64 40 (1.59 10-Split), 32.5 Vert, 10’03 Broad, 4.4 Shuttle, 7.02 3-Cone, 12 reps | 4.24 RAS

Marshall could see his NFL role come in the slot, but he’s worked mainly on the boundary and he’s been good in the role. He had a standout 8 PBU and an INT in one game this season vs top ranked Virginia, and a large part of his game comes with instincts, despite a lack of athleticism. Marshall won’t function in man coverage, he has a slow initial burst, lacks true long speed, and he struggles to close gaps at the rate most NFL DB’s can. This paired with over aggression causes some big plays, as he lacks recovery speed, and he tries to make a play to overcome this. Despite that, Marshall wins off his elite instincts, understanding of passing lanes/concepts, and an elite ability to read the QB. Marshall is physical despite his size, and he’ll make a play on receivers, while also having a knack to utilize the sideline to his advantage and push defenders out. He shows good weight balance, fluid hips, and he works his upper/lower body in unison. Marshall has an innate ability to adjust to the ball in the air, and he’ll work both the WR and the ball to make a play. He’s a read and react defender, who works well in zone or the slot, where Marshall has an ability to jam, work through contact, and he can also sell an undercut well to try and bait the QB into a throw. Marshall has natural instincts, and he’s overcome his athletic flaws with his elite technique, aggression, and understanding of the game. He’s likely a NCB in the NFL, and getting him near the LOS will cause success.

Domani Jackson, Alabama (Consensus: Late 5th to Early 6th)

HT: 6’0| WT: 195 | Games: 46Career: 126 tackles, 4 TFL, 3 INT, 12 PBU, FF, 12.8% missed tackle rate | 61% reception rate (60/98), 882 yards, 4 TD, 95.7 QBR allowedTesting: 4.41 40 (1.58 10-Split), 33.5 Vert | 9.0 RAS

A former five start corner, Jackson has been at both USC and Alabama, Jackson has exceptional length and size, he’s likely best working in man coverage but shows some traits to work in zone as well. Jackson has clean, fluid hips, but his footwork is lacking and he struggles to change directions at a consistent rate. Jackson has good physicality, he’ll get his hands in to make a play on the ball, and he also shows an ability to diagnose, react, and come downhill to make a play on the ball. Jackson can jam receivers, and he’ll turn and run well but the initial explosiveness is very inconsistent. He’s shown good long speed, an ability to undercut routes, and he has recovery speed when beaten downfield. I’d like to see Jackson do better on run concepts, where he’ll play passive, has poor tackling angles, and his form isn’t the best. Jackson needs to do better avoiding fakes, and QB’s have shown an ability to manipulate his eyes at times, causing him to get out of place and break on in/out breakers late. He allowed a high contested catch rate, struggled to prevent getting boxed out, and Jackson’s very average instincts show as well. He can be successful in the NFL, but he has a runway to success as well, with Jackson mainly winning on pure athleticism, learning the position, how to better control his athleticism, and how to collapse passing lanes will be crucial.

Collin Wright, Stanford (Consensus: Late 6th to Early 7th)

HT: 6’0 | WT: 188 | Games: 36Career: 144 tackles, 11 TFL, 5 INT (TD), 17 PBU, 10.4% missed tackle rate | 61% reception rate (103/168), 1228 yards, 16 TD, 103.0 QBR allowedTesting: 4.51 40 (1.58 10-Split), 39 Vert, 10’03 Broad, 4.37 Shuttle | 7.46 RAS

Wright’s statistical approach looks bad, but a large part comes in 2023 where he allowed 41 receptions, 598 yards, 7 TD, and a 128.3 QBR and he’s improved each season allowing just 630 yards, 9 TD (7 in 2024), and a 87.4 QBR across the last two seasons while adding 4 INT, and 11 PBU. Wright has been pretty consistent through his career, and his true ceiling is very limited, though Wright can provide depth to a team as a high floor player. He has good instincts, and makes an impact on special teams, but Wright is extremely athletically limited. Wright tackles well, has good form, and he’ll play physical but I’d like to see him add more mass to his frame. Wright shows good hip flexibility, he work his whole lower body in unison, but he struggles to come out of breaks with explosion, and lacks long speed which can cause him to get beaten over the top or in hole shots. Wright bites on double moves, a lot, and his lack of makeup speed causes him to get beaten pretty bad. Additionally, he’ll need to get better at boxing out defenders, working his frame, and being physical throughout the route where he stays hands off unless beaten, and then he’s flagged. Wright can be a solid depth cornerback, but his ceiling is limited, reminds me a lot of Kyu Blu Kelly, and he should capitalize on his opportunities with good ball skills.

HT: 6’0 | WT: 189 | Games: 42Career: 72 tackles, 2 INT, 12 PBU, 4% missed tackle rate | 48% reception rate (45/93), 638 yards, 4 TD, 76.4 QBR allowedTesting: 4.58 40 (1.62 10-Split), 36 Vert, 10’01 Broad, 4.18 Shuttle, 7.19 3-Cone | 5.31 RAS

Iowa has turned out NFL DB’s recently, and Hall should follow suit. He has elite, and I mean elite, instincts, where Hall will consistently take away multiple concepts, works to pass off defenders, and he does well gliding between concepts to take multiple routes off board. His first step is very average, but it’s well used and he’ll come down to crash a concept, with good length he’s also able to get the ball out in contested situations. Hall wasn’t targeted often in his career, but he capitalized when he did. He has a physical profile, he’ll play big, and he does well to find the ball in the air creating opportunities. Hall is an exceptional run defender, he has elite form, great angles, and he’ll use his full body into the route. Hall won’t do much as a down field cornerback, his long speed is lacking, but he has a decent second gear before falling off after 20-30 yards. Hall shows a lot of physical mentalities in his game, but he’s lacking the true athleticism at times to be a consistent playmaker. His benefits come with pairing instincts, physicality, and ball skills and there’s a route that Hall will develop into a starter, but likely sits as a 4th or 5th corner on a roster.

Available NCB: DeVonta Smith (Notre Dame) -> 43 Vert, 11 Broad, elite shuttle times, 9.21 RAS

Latrell McCutchin, Houston (Consensus: Mid 7th to UDFA)

HT: 6’1 | WT: 191 | Games: 48Career: 119 tackles, 5 TFL, 2 sacks, 17 PBU, 6 FR, 5 FF, 13% missed tackle rate | 59% reception rate (74/126), 1072 yards, 11 TD, 115.6 QBR allowedTesting: 4.43 40 (1.58 10-Split), 38.5 Vert, 10’11 Broad, 4.18 Shuttle, 7 3-Cone | 9.48 RAS

McCutchin is an exceptional athlete, and he has an elite frame with great length. He shows an ability to utilize his length and instincts to crash on the ball, but he’s still lacking heavily in terms of his overall ability to work out of zone coverage. McCutchin does well to find the ball in the air, but he’s slow to react which has also caused some issues in terms of jumping the route or adjusting the ball in the air where he lacks an ability to adjust to the ball. He shows good initial quickness, has good recovery speed, and McCutchin is also exceptional physical through the concept. He’s an elite special teams contributor, and McCutchin has a fairly high floor for a cornerback prospect down the board. He’s best in man, where his zone instincts lack, and he also needs to do better on biting against double moves or play action. He’s a very sound tackler, but can be over aggressive or take poor angles and be out of position too frequently. McCutchin profiles as a good late round CB prospect who has exceptional length, size, speed, and athletic traits. While he’s lacking initial instincts, and he’ll need to do better working out of zone, McCutchin has the upside to be a key contributor.