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The Las Vegas Raiders have been in the news this week during the NFL Combine, as new head coach Klint Kubiak told reporters that defensive coordinator Rob Leonard will be running a 3-4 defense next season. That’s a big focus for this week’s mailbag, as well as free agency and the 2026 NFL draft. So, let’s get to it!
Q: Assuming the Raiders want to address their true NT in free agency, who are some top names you’d like to see?
A: To be honest, I like the draft class at nose tackle (there’s a lot of quality options this year) more than the free agents available. So, I think the Raiders are more likely to go with a younger option in the draft. But, to answer the question, here are a few names to keep tabs on next month.
DJ Reader from the Lions is the first that came to mind and the best overall player mentioned here. However, Reader is more of a shade nose tackle than a true 0-technique, making him less of a fit in odd fronts. His former teammate, Roy Lopez, would be better for the 3-4 scheme and is a little younger, turning 29 in August. Khalen Saunders, who played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets last season, is a decent option. Same with former Raider Andrew Billings, who has spent the last three seasons with the Chicago Bears.
To me, if the Raiders are going to go with the free agent route at nose tackle, their best option is Khyiris Tonga from the New England Patriots. Tonga played well in that role for the Patriots last year and offers upside as a pass-rusher.
All of this being said, I’d take guys like Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald, Texas Tech’s Lee Hunter or Georgia’s Christen Miller in the draft over any of the free agent options listed above.
Q: Do Tommy Eichenberg and Cody Lindenberg fit the 3-4? If not, which free agent LBs would fit the scheme?
A: Yes, Eichenberg and Linderberg fit the middle/inside linebacker roles well in odd fronts. They’re similar types of players in that they’re run-first linebackers who can take on blocks, and they won’t have to cover as much ground with the shift in defensive philosophy.
That being said, those two don’t have much experience, so adding a linebacker (or two) in the offseason should still be on the table for Las Vegas. The free agent class has a handful of good options the Raiders can target, especially at the top of the class.
For example, Pro Football Focus has Devin Lloyd from the Jacksonville Jaguars as the fourth player overall on their free-agent big board, Devin Bush from the Cleveland Browns eighth and Nakobe Dean of the Philadelphia Eagles 11th. Any of those three would be good fits for the Silver and Black.
Q: Now that the team will be switching to a 3-4 defense, what do you think of switching Laki Tasi to nose tackle? He wouldn’t have to think too much, and his Rugby playing should serve him well.
A: It’s funny, when the Raiders originally picked up Tasi, he was listed as a defensive lineman, and my first thought was to put him at nose. Obviously, John Spytek and Co. had different ideas and moved Tasi to the other side of the trenches, which is a better fit for his physical profile. But I can’t say I hate the idea of moving him back to the d-line and having him give nose tackle a try, since that was my original idea for him.
The biggest issue is that if the Raiders are trying to develop a guy who is pure raw talent, they have to pick a position and stick to it for at least a couple of years. Tasi has plenty of natural ability; it’s just a matter of him perfecting a craft and the techniques that go along with it. Going back and forth between positions prevents that from happening because he’d never get a chance to hone in on the skills necessary to play either spot.
A: I touched on free agent options at right tackle and interior offensive line earlier this week, so take a look at those for a few names to keep tabs on. I’ll say that the tackle class is pretty weak, but there are a lot of good options at guard or center.
If I had to take a guess at a way-too-early starting offensive line projection: LT Kolton Miller, LG David Edwards, C Jordan Meredith, RG Jackson Powers-Johnson, RT Braden Smith.
A: It depends on the actual answer to the question above. Powers-Johnson’s position flexibility opens up the Raiders’ options this offseason, where if they wanted to spend big money on Tyler Linderbaum, sign or draft a different center, they can. Ultimately, I get the feeling Spytek likes JPJ better at guard, though. His physical profile is also a more natural fit at guard than center.
Q: What players under contract for the coming season (besides Geno Smith) might get cut? There seems to be a surplus of defensive tackles.
A: You mention the amount of defensive tackles on the roster, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Adam Butler gets cut. Butler declined last season, turns 32 in April and the Raiders would save about half of his contract with a post-June 1 cut, per Over The Cap. Alex Cappa is another one since Cappa would just be a $1 million dead cap hit and bring a little more than $5 million in savings. Isaiah Pola-Mao could be another salary cap casualty, since Pola-Mao’s contract includes a dead cap and savings of $750,000 and $4.11 million, respectively.
Outside of those three, the Raiders don’t have a ton of obvious cut candidates. I’m sure there will be a surprise or two and maybe a guy like DJ Glaze gets traded, but there aren’t many players who are under contract and standout to me as someone the organization is willing to give up on.
A: The Raiders aren’t getting a second-round pick for a guy who has less than 800 receiving yards in three seasons and is entering a contract year. Also, I’d be pretty surprised if the Raiders traded Michael Mayer this offseason.
The Seahawks had the eighth-highest 12 personnel rate in the NFL last season and ranked second in EPA with those packages, per Sumer Sports. Seattle also had the eighth-highest 22 personnel rate and were 12th in 13 personnel. So, Klint Kubiak uses a lot of two- and three-tight end formations, creating an opportunity for Mayer to have a significant role in the offense next season.
Q: DLs and LBs were on the field Thursday at the combine. Which of these players might be taken at 36 by the Raiders?
A: I’m still hoping McDonald or Hunter fall out of round one and into the Raiders’ lap at 36. Either of those two would be great options to fill the void at nose tackle. I also thought Florida State’s Darrell Jackson Jr. stood out on Thursday evening, but Jackson is more of a third- or fourth-round option.
The biggest standouts in the edge group at the combine were mostly projected first-round picks like Texas Tech’s David Bailey and Clemson’s T.J. Parker, and a lot of the second-round options like Illinois’ Gabe Jacas, Oklahoma’s R Mason Thomas and Michigan’s Derrick Moore didn’t participate. One guy whose stock is rising after Thursday though, is Malachi Lawrence from UCF. Lawrence was toward the top of every athletic test and looked good in the position drills to be a quality third-round option as a pass-rusher.
At linebacker, Jake Golday out of Cincinnati showed off some explosiveness with a 39-inch vertical, 10-foot-5 broad jump and 1.60-second 10-yard split. Golday should be in play at 36 and is an intruiging option if one of those nose tackles aren’t available.
A: Ohio State’s Sonny Styles and Georgia’s CJ Allen are the two best coverage linebackers in the draft. But Styles isn’t getting out of the top 15 picks (maybe even top 5) after he lit it up at the combine. Allen is another option at 36, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes in round one, too. That brings me back to Golday, who is also very good in coverage and my LB4 (I have Arvell Reese as LB1 and not at edge). This is another reason why I like the former Bearcat as a Day 2 pick for the Silver and Black.
At safety, Caleb Downs from Ohio State is hands down the best overall prospect. But much like his college teammate mentioned above, Downs will be long gone before the Raiders are back on the clock after taking Fernando Mendoza first overall. Then, if you’re looking for a free safety, the hope would be that Dillon Thieneman out of Oregon falls to the second round.
This year’s safety class is also pretty good overall, where I think Las Vegas can find a good option on Day 2 of the draft. A few prospects who come to mind, USC’s Kamari Ramsey, LSU’s A.J. Haulcy, Penn State’s Zakee Wheatley, Arizona’s Gensis Smith and TCU’s Bud Clark.
Q: On a scale from 1-10, where 10 is total chaos, where are the Raiders as a football team right now?
A: I feel like this the least chaotic the organization has been in a while, to be honest. I guess the Maxx Crosby trade rumors have created some chaos, but I think this offseason has gone pretty well so far (famous last words). So, I’d put it at like a three.
That’ll do it for this week’s mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if you’d like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95, email them to [email protected] or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.