As far as fits with Kubiak, Omar Cooper Jr. and KC Concepcion are the coach\u2019s type of receiver with their versatility to win in the slot or outside and YAC ability. I have a hard time seeing those two fall out of the first-round, but if either of them do, I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if that\u2019s the pick at 36.<\/p>\n
On Day 2 or later, I 100 percent agree with you on Bernard, since he fits that same mold. If that\u2019s who John Spytek and Kubiak want to target, I\u2019d like to see them trade back into the 50s or see if Bernard slips to round three than take him at the top of the second. The latter is probably more wishful thinking, but the former seems realistic and could be a good strategy to add another Top 100 pick and address nose tackle or safety with it.<\/p>\n
A sleeper name I\u2019ll throw out there is Skyler Bell from UConn. Marcus Johnson recently did a \u201cTape Don\u2019t Lie\u201d breakdown<\/a> on Bell, and he fits the Kubiak profile pretty well. I also could see Oklahoma\u2019s Deion Burks be a mid-round target.<\/p>\n Q: Is number 36 a reach for Zachariah Branch?<\/p>\n A: Branch is another guy who could fit with Kubiak given his YAC ability. But my concern with Branch is that he has a pretty limited route tree. Georgia primarily used him on screens, accounting for 42 of his 78 targets last season, per SumerSports<\/a>. So, he\u2019d be a reach and is more of a third- or fourth-round target, in my opinion.<\/p>\n Q: The last two Super Bowls were won on the defensive side of the ball (predominantly DL). I believe the Raiders will draft a DT at 36. The Raiders also need to draft a CB & safety on that side of the ball, but nobody is talking about selecting a safety. What safeties fall to 67 & who do you take?<\/p>\n TEMPE, AZ – SEPTEMBER 26: TCU Horned Frogs safety Bud Clark (21) reacts to a big play during the college football game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Arizona State Sun Devils on September 26, 2025 at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Abele\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n A: If you\u2019re looking for more safety content, I\u2019ve done breakdowns on Dillon Thieneman<\/a>, A.J. Haulcy<\/a>, Kamari Ramsey<\/a>, Bud Clark<\/a>, Zakee Wheatley<\/a> and will have a one coming on Genesis Smith soon. I\u2019ve also ranked my top five free safety options in the draft and did a \u2018Plans A, B and C\u2019 piece<\/a> on it. So, I\u2019m at least talking about the position!<\/p>\n I\u2019d like it if Haulcy slides to 67, but I think he\u2019s going to come off the board in the second round. Clark is the guy I have my eye on for that pick. He\u2019s \u201cmy guy\u201d at the position, and would add the much needed ballhawk to Las Vegas\u2019 secondary.<\/p>\n Q: Christen Miller at #36, or Big Citrus\/Gracen Halton (not as an NT obviously) at #67 for the Raiders?<\/p>\n A: Halton is the first guy I\u2019m going to eliminate here because I think he\u2019s more of a role player in the NFL and should be fourth-round target rather than a third. He\u2019ll probably get drafted higher than that because other people seem to like Halton more than I do, but if I\u2019m calling the shots, he\u2019s not the flavor of defensive tackle that I like with a top 100 pick.<\/p>\n So, it comes down to Miller at 36 or Domonique Orange at 67. I think the latter has more \u201cvalue\u201d because the 60s to 70s seems to be Orange\u2019s draft range, while Miller is closer to the 40s or 50s, in my opinion. However, I lean toward Miller in this scenario, with the caveat being that Kayden McDonald and Lee Hunter are off the board.<\/p>\n I like McDonald and Hunter better as true nose tackles compared to Miller, but would be perfectly fine with the latter at 36 if the first two aren\u2019t available. I\u2019d hope the Raiders could trade back and still get the former Bulldog, but I\u2019d understand if Spytek didn\u2019t want to take the risk after watching two nose tackles come off the board in the first 35 selections. In my opinion, Miller wouldn\u2019t be more of a \u201creach\u201d at 36 but more of a \u201cstretch\u201d.<\/p>\n Q: The Raiders almost traded Maxx Crosby. Malcolm Koonce is on another prove-it contract. Kwity Paye is a good run defender who can chip in with some pass rush here and there, but mostly a clean-up guy. Who is the day 3 guy that you could see stepping in on third down for the Raiders on the edge after a year of development?<\/p>\n A: Jaishawn Barham from Michigan is the first guy that comes to mind. Barham didn\u2019t start playing on the edge full-time until about Week 3 of this past season, primarily lining up as an off-ball linebacker at Maryland and Michigan. His athleticism really stands out on tape and it\u2019s clear he has some pass-rush potential, but he\u2019s still working on how to be effective with his hands. That can be chalked up to having limited experience at the position, making Barham a perfect candidate for what you\u2019re asking about. Granted, he\u2019s been getting some buzz lately and might not make it to Day 3.<\/p>\n Another guy to keep tabs on is Joshua Josephs out of Tennessee. He isn\u2019t getting talked about much, but I like what he brings to the table as a pass-rusher in the third- to fourth-round category. That being said, Josephs\u2019 biggest issues are against the run, so I guess he technically wouldn\u2019t fall into the developmental category as a pass-rusher specifically.<\/p>\n One more name for you, and I think he has the best chance to be available on Day 3 of the guys I have here, USC\u2019s Anthony Lucas. At 6-foot-5.5, 256 pounds with 33.5-inch arms and showing plenty of athleticism on tape, Lucas has all the traits you\u2019re looking for in a developmental edge defender. However, he only had three sacks<\/a> in college and two of them came against Georgia Southern, so he definitely has work to do to be more productive.<\/p>\n Q: ESPN\u2019s Bill Barnwell said the Eagles need to trade for Maxx Crosby. He proposed trading the Eagles\u2019 first-round pick this year, along with Nolan Smith and a 3rd round pick next year. Would you make that deal?<\/p>\n A: People aren\u2019t going to like this, but I\u2019d probably take that deal.<\/p>\n It gives the Raiders another first-round pick to get another starter while also adding a young, starting-caliber edge to replace Crosby long-term. Smith was a first-round pick in 2023, so the Raiders could pick up his fifth-year option and have two seasons to decide if he\u2019s worth giving a big contract extension to. Plus, another top 100 pick next year is a valuable asset for a rebuilding team.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not quite the same as two first-rounders, but one first, a former first-rounder and a third might be the best deal Las Vegas can get for Crosby at this point.<\/p>\n Q: If Caleb Rodgers and Charles Grant show something in the next 2 weeks, the Raiders will go d-line or cornerback with the 2nd round pick\u2026I like Lee Hunter a lot for the d-line\u2026what say you?<\/p>\n A: The next two weeks aren\u2019t going to change anything, especially for offensive linemen. This time of year is really just workouts and installing the basics of the playbook, and the pads don\u2019t come on until training camp.<\/p>\n That being said, I do agree with your overall point that the Raiders are more likely to go with a defensive player than an offensive lineman at 36. It seems like the team\u2019s brass is comfortable letting the linemen they already have on the roster battle it out for starting spots during camp.<\/p>\n I also agree with you on Hunter, as he\u2019s one of the guys I have circled as a top option in the second round. That\u2019d give the defense its starting nose tackle. At cornerback, if Avieon Terrell doesn\u2019t come off the board on Thursday, he\u2019s someone to keep tabs on for Friday. I\u2019d also keep an eye on Brandon Cisse, Chris Johnson and D\u2019Angelo Ponds.<\/p>\n ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 06: John Curry #6 and Lee Hunter #2 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrate during the first half the Big 12 Championship game against the BYU Cougars at AT&T Stadium on December 06, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n A: Terrell and Johnson are the only two corners who I think will realistically be avialable at 36 and I\u2019d consider over Hunter. Barring Thieneman or Emmanuel McNeil-Warren surprisingly falling out of the first-round, there\u2019s a gap in the safety class that makes the position hard to see at 36. Same with wide receiver. So, for the most part, I can agree with you on having Hunter and Miller rated higher than the skill guys.<\/p>\n As far as Miller vesus Hunter, I\u2019m going with the guy I know will be a starter; Hunter. Circling back to what I mentioned about the offensive line, the Raiders seem content to let DJ Glaze and Charles Grant battle it out for the starting right tackle job. In my opinion, the way to approach that position was to add someone in free agency rather than throwing another young guy into the mix. Obivously, that didn\u2019t happen, though.<\/p>\n At this point, it wouldn\u2019t surprise me if Las Vegas doesn\u2019t draft an offensive lineman until Day 3. They don\u2019t seem to be that interested in this year\u2019s class, and Spytek appears to be banking on his pre-draft evals of Rogers and Grant, counting on them to develop into starters. Also, I could see Miller being a first-round pick and this being a moot point, anyway. LOL!<\/p>\n Q: Realistically, who should the Raiders move back into the 1st round for? And I\u2019m thinking picks 27 – 32.<\/p>\n A: This is a popular question as it was asked a few times this week and has been brought up in the past. I dove into this a little deeper a couple of weeks ago (link<\/a>), and Thieneman is the guy I\u2019m going to be monitoring on Thursday night. If he slides into the 20s, Spytek should start working the phones. Kayden McDonald is another guy I\u2019d consider trading back into that range for.<\/p>\n Barring a surprise slide, there aren\u2019t many prospects I\u2019d pound the table to trade up for, though. If I had to guess, trading back from 36 seems like a more realistic option.<\/p>\n A: For me, Matt Ryan is the best comparison for Fernando Mendoza. Size-wise, they measure up pretty well with Ryan at 6-foot-5, 228 pounds and Mendoza being 6-foot-5, 236 pounds. Both are pocket passers who have good processing and read the defense well, and both have good but not great arm strength. Mendoza is a little more mobile than Ryan was, but that\u2019s not a big enough part of the Heisman Trophy winner\u2019s game for me to move off that comp.<\/p>\n I ranked Mendoza against the 2024 and 2025 quarterback classes a few months ago<\/a>, and had him third behind Drake Maye and Caleb Williams, and ahead of Jayden Daniels. Unfortunately, I don\u2019t have a ranking for the last eight years, but I\u2019d put Mendoza in the same category\/caliber as C.J. Stroud, if that helps.<\/p>\n A: The biggest reason offensive tackles get convereted to guards is because they don\u2019t have the feet or arm length to be effective in pass protection in the NFL. You\u2019re 100 percent correct in that it\u2019s not as simple as a bad tackle will make a comptent guard. For me, that tackle has to be a good run blocker and have a strong base as a pass blocker to successfully switch positions.<\/p>\n There has to be a reason I want to keep that player on the field, and if he brings something to the running game but struggles to hold down the edge in pass protection, then let\u2019s give him a shot at guard. But if I\u2019m seeing a tackle who struggles to move defensive linemen when run blocking and can\u2019t or I don\u2019t trust to anchor against bull rushers, then that\u2019s just a bad player and it\u2019s time to move on or draft someone else.<\/p>\n At a high level, the criteria for tackles to convert to guards is that they\u2019re lacking some athleticism to hold down in the edge in pass protection but have the brut strength to handle the physicality of the trenches.<\/p>\n When it comes to Glaze, he has the length with nearly 35-inch arms<\/a> and has the body type of a tackle at 6-foot-5, 315 pounds. So, I understand why the coaching staff and front office want to give him one more chance at the position because he fits the physical profile pretty well. However, my concern with Glaze has always been his foot speed and change of direction, and I thought he\u2019d make a better guard because of that. For the most part, he\u2019s been a decent run blocker, it\u2019s his pass pro that needs more work to hold down the edge.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Grant is the opposite and I\u2019d be pretty surprised if he plays anywhere other than tackle. His athleticism really stood out to me on tape (his testing numbers were surprisingly underwhelming, though) and I don\u2019t think he\u2019ll have many issues staying in front of speedy pass-rushers. However, Grant\u2019s anchor is one of my concerns about his game. So if it doesn\u2019t work out at tackle for him, I don\u2019t see him having a career at guard.<\/p>\n A: It\u2019s a mental illness and one I hope they never find a cure for. LOL! I\u2019ve always loved the draft and diving into the upcoming crop of NFL players\u2019 games to see who is next up in the league. I couldn\u2019t tell you exactly why I find it so fascinating, but I like to joke that it\u2019s because my formative years as a Raiders fan were in the 2000s and right after the Super Bowl run. So, September through January sucked for the better part of the last quarter century, but come the offseason and specifically in April, I had hope!<\/p>\n Even if I wasn\u2019t doing this for a living, I\u2019d still be spending a good portion of my free time diving into the next wave of draft prospects. I definitely wouldn\u2019t be going as deep in the class as I do, but I\u2019d at least want to know about the Top 100 guys. Again, it\u2019s a sickness and one I\u2019m well aware of but have no intetions of fixing!<\/p>\n That\u2019ll do it for this week\u2019s mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if you\u2019d like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95<\/a>, email them to SBPQuestions1@gmail.com<\/a> or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.![\"Bud](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gettyimages-2237688741.jpg\"\/)
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