No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza is going to get most of the attention from the Las Vegas Raiders‘ rookie class, but he’s not likely to play much at the start of the season. If it takes time to get him on the field, second-round pick safety Treydan Stukes may be the highest-drafted rookie to see playing time first.
Stukes is going to turn 25 in September, which is quite old for a rookie. The Raiders passed on some good players to select him in the second round, so they need him to be an impact player quickly.
However, he has failed to impress early in training camp. The Athletic’s Sam Warren put together a stock report for a number of players on the Raiders’ roster, and he believes Stukes’ stock is down.
“Stukes hasn’t struggled in camp. He’s been sound in his assignments, as he was during the offseason program. But the second-round pick has earned fewer opportunities than might be expected,” Warren wrote.
“Stukes has yet to receive a first-team snap in any competitive period. That strays from his role this offseason, where he got chances with the ones at both safety and nickel. Veterans Taron Johnson and Jeremy Chinn missed some of those practices, however, allowing Stukes to step in. With both suited up for all training camp sessions, the rookie has been relegated to second string. He will have to show something once the pads come on to crack the rotation.”
Stukes Still Has Time
Stukes hasn’t even played a game yet, so there’s no reason to panic quite yet. The fact that he’s going to be 25 soon is a bit concerning. He may only have five or six years left in his athletic prime.
That’s why the Raiders need him to be good quickly. That said, he can afford to be brought along slowly as a rookie. At safety, the team brought back 2025 starters Jeremy Chinn and Isaiah Pola-Mao. They can handle safety duties to start the season.
Stukes can also play nickel cornerback, but Taron Johnson will likely fill that role this year. It’s a bit concerning that Stukes’ stock is already down, but he’ll get plenty of chances to prove that he was worth the pick.
Mendoza Having Ups & Downs
Early signs have pointed toward Mendoza being exactly what the Raiders wanted when they used such a valuable pick on him. However, there have been some growing pains.
That’s something that head coach Klint Kubiak was expecting.
“There’s gonna be ups and downs,” Kubiak told reporters. “What player can get the rest of the other 10 players playing at their best, that’s what we’re looking for. There will never be a perfect game or a perfect practice. But I think he’s doing a good job. I don’t expect him to be perfect right now.”
The Raiders have no reason to rush Mendoza, so they’ll figure out the best plan of action for him. So far, it doesn’t sound like he’s really challenged Cousins for the starting quarterback job yet, but there’s still a lot of training camp left.
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