By Drafting Stukes, Raiders Playing With House Money
The Las Vegas Raiders entered the NFL Draft in desperate need of depth across the board, as years of failed moves in free agency and the NFL Draft have caught up to them over the past few seasons. Few position groups on their roster needed more help than their defensive backfield.
Watch Treydan Stukes Discuss His First Practices as a Rookie Below
Las Vegas' draft haul was filled with players who should develop into significant contributors, at the very least. That is undoubtedly the case for rookie safety, Treydan Stukes, who the Raiders hope will become much more than just a contributor. Stukes may be a cornerstone of the Raiders' future.
Las Vegas needed to overhaul its defensive backfield. After drafting two safeties and two cornerbacks in this draft, the Raiders will still need to add more defensive backs. Regardless of the future moves Las Vegas' front office makes, Stukes is unquestionably a player they are depending on.
Stukes Is the Future, But...
The Raiders added Stukes, as they know veteran safeties Isaiah Pola-Mao and Jeremy Chinn are set to become free agents after the 2026 season. Las Vegas may keep one or both of them. The Raiders could lose out on both of them to better deals from other teams; it is the nature of the business.
Adding Stukes gives the Raiders a player they can develop behind Chinn and Pola-Mao over the 2026 season. In theory, Las Vegas should get solid play from both Chinn and Pola-Mao, as they look for a new contract next offseason, either in Las Vegas or elsewhere.
Why Raiders Playing With House Money
That is in the future. In the immediate, the Raiders may need to call on Stukes to step up if either of those veterans were to miss time due to an injury. In a 17-game season, starters missing time is bound to happen.
By drafting Stukes and fellow rookie safety Dalton Johnson, the Raiders prepared for situations that are likely to arise. Adding Stukes and Johnson gives the Raiders two players who are familiar with each other and would only benefit by playing on Sundays in some capacity, for any reason.
In Stukes, the Raiders got a first-round talent, but in the second round. They were also able to add an additional draft pick by trading back before selecting him. They added a potential starting offensive lineman with that additional pick by selecting Trey Zuhn, one of the best linemen in the draft.
The addition of Stukes will always be tied to the addition of Zuhn and Johnson. The respective additions of Zuhn and Johnson add to the value the Raiders already got by selecting Stukes in the second round. Raiders assistant general manager Brian Stark explained his thoughts on Stukes.
"Treydan [Stukes] is a very intelligent football player. He also was a really good communicator on the field. So, this is a player, he was a late bloomer, right? He was a walk-on, became a three-time captain. He's played all those positions we talked about," Stark said shortly after the second night of the draft concluded.
"So, he's another player that's going to come in immediately and compete to play, bring some leadership, bring some communication ability. As good of a player as he is, as talented he is, he's that good or better of a person. We're bringing a lot to that room, not just in ability, but in character, leadership and work ethic. We're really excited about him."
The expectations for Stukes are high, but reasonable. The expectations are there because of the talent and skills he demonstrated as a draft expert while in college. It will take time, but the better Stukes is and the quicker he can make an impact on Sundays, the sooner the Raiders will take the next step.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/raiders/onsi as By Drafting Stukes, Raiders Playing With House Money .
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 5:00 PM.