Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, defensive tackle was considered one of the Las Vegas Raiders‘ bigger needs, but they didn’t address the position until the seventh round. Perhaps that’s because they actually like the returning players on the roster.
One player who didn’t get a lot of hype last season was Jonah Laulu. He was tied for third on the team with 4.0 sacks and third on the team with eight tackles for loss. He’s not a household name, but he proved that he can make an impact.
Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report thinks that he’s actually the “best-kept secret” on the Raiders’ roster.
“Jonah Laulu was originally cut by the Indianapolis Colts after being a seventh-round selection in the 2024 class. He was immediately picked up by the Raiders and started six of the team’s last eight games. Unsurprisingly, Laulu struggled,” Sobleksi wrote. “The 25-year-old defensive lineman became a much bigger part of the Raiders’ defensive rotation in Year 2. Laulu still struggled, specifically against the run, but he’s included here because he brings a very specific and valuable skill set.
“Laulu is a legitimate interior pass-rusher. Even if he continues to struggle on early downs, he can easily be a regular sub-package contributor.”
Adam Butler Will Also Have a Big Role
It’s also easy to forget that the Raiders have Adam Butler on the roster, who has proven to be a very solid veteran. He’s coming off a down year with only one sack, but he had 5.0 sacks in 2023 and 2024.
The Raiders will be relying on him a lot, so he could return to form in 2026. Jesse Merrick of Silver & Black Sports Network thinks Butler was a huge winner this offseason.
“Adam Butler is one of my winners because he is your guy that can be a nose (tackle) fairly often, even, again, when they are in those nickel situations,” Merrick said in a video posted on X. “But go back and read up on him. I think if you just Google, ‘Adam Butler 2019 Patriots‘, there’s an article out there that I found where they really dove into the weeds on Adam Butler and his usage as a nose, and just his versatility. He moved around, played nose, played 3-technique, all that stuff. I really like him as a versatile piece. Had they drafted a true nose or even a guy like Christen Miller out of Georgia, if that added up to work out for them, I think then I would have said, hey, Adam Butler is probably a loser in this situation. But the fact that they don’t draft a defensive lineman till the seventh round tells me that Rob Leonard likes the guys that he has.”
Raiders Have Some Potential at DT
The Raiders also used draft picks on defensive tackles Tonka Hemingway and J.J. Pegues just a year ago. Hemingway showed a lot of potential as a rookie, notching 4.0 sacks despite limited snaps.
Pegues is more of a space-eater, but he’s a huge body who can make an impact in the rung. It makes sense for the Raiders not to use too many resources on defensive tackle this offseason, as they need to see what they have in some young players.
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