Breven Honda
During the NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders focused heavily on their secondary. They needed to.
Last season, only Tennessee and Miami allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete passes at a higher clip than the Raiders, who tied Dallas for the third-highest opponent completion percentage in the league.
General Manager John Spytek used four of the team’s 10 picks on cornerbacks and safeties. Las Vegas drafted Arizona safeties Treydan Stukes and Dalton Johnson in the second and fifth rounds. The team added cornerbacks Jermod McCoy and Hezekiah Masses on Day 3.
“We needed to add competition to the defensive back room for sure,” Klint Kubiak said. “Pretty rare to get two safeties from the same team that have played together. That’s exciting. Get two new corners. That was an area of the defense that we needed to address.”
The question now is how four rookies fit into a defensive rotation that has to handle some of the game’s best pass catchers.
Treydan Stukes Highlights All Four Players’ Versatility
Treydan Stukes can rotate at nickelback and safety. At Arizona, he defended in man and zone, played the line of scrimmage and the back end, and graded out at 90.1 overall last season — sixth-best among cornerbacks nationally.
He allowed a 34.4 passer rating when targeted.
“I am going to learn both (positions) and wherever I can fit best and help the team win some games, that’s what I’m going to do,” Stukes said during rookie minicamp.
The Raiders traded down two spots and still landed him in the second round, capitalizing on first-round talent that slid. Four interceptions and six pass breakups last year show why that mattered.
Defensive coordinator Rob Leonard wants interceptions. Stukes gives him a ballhawk in the middle of the field.
Arizona Teammates Join Veterans in Raiders Secondary
Versatility drove Dalton Johnson’s selection at No. 150. He can play free safety, strong safety, nickelback, and the slot. Four positions at a Day 3 pick is value.
Johnson totaled 277 tackles across his final three seasons in Tucson. He’ll learn behind veterans Jeremy Chinn and Isaiah Pola-Mao, who played 96% and 89% of defensive snaps last season — both clearing or approaching 1,000 snaps.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders Draft Recap: Getting to know the picks
Jermod McCoy Proving Himself Despite Knee Concerns
Jermod McCoy went from a potential first-round pick to the first pick on Day 3. Injury history dropped him.
He missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL at Tennessee. Reports surfaced before the draft that some teams believed a second surgery was coming because of degenerative concerns around a bone plug in the same knee. The Raiders traded up one spot to take him anyway.
“Confidence was not a problem,” vice president of player personnel Brandon Hunt said. “We felt good about where we took him. It was an opportunity to get value. This was arguably the best corner in the draft, and we feel that we have great people and a great process to make sure we get the best out of this player.”
McCoy worked out at rookie minicamp despite the medical reports. In 2024 at Tennessee, after transferring from Oregon State, he posted four interceptions and nine pass breakups and earned All-American honors. The next three months will tell the Raiders what they actually have.
Also read: Las Vegas Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza Faces Anonymous Coach Criticism and It Doesn’t Hold Up
Masses and McCoy Join Experienced Cornerback Room
If Stukes is the ballhawk in the middle, Hezekiah Masses is the ballhawk on the outside.
Masses led the nation with 18 passes defended last season. He tied for seventh with five interceptions and earned AP Second Team All-American honors. At over six feet, he reads route concepts well in zone.
The veteran room he and McCoy step into is solid. Taron Johnson arrives from Buffalo with eight seasons of double-digit games, 48 pass deflections (seven or more in four straight years from 2020-23), 98 tackles, and AP All-Pro Second Team honors on his résumé. Eric Stokes played more than 90% of defensive snaps for the Raiders last season — joining Pola-Mao and Devin White in that group — and added five pass deflections and 53 tackles.
You have two rooms led by veterans and four rookies, which gives the Raiders plenty to be excited about.
As a result, both defensive back rooms have the opportunity to turn their great draft, combined with their veterans, into a top unit. The preparation over the next three months before the season will tell how far they come together.
Also read: Las Vegas Raiders Wide Receiver Depth Chart 2026: No Clear No. 1 Option Heading into Training Camp
