Mark Davis is rightfully excited his Las Vegas Raiders hold the No. 1 overall picking in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
“Having the first pick in the draft is exciting because we kind of control the draft — we get to make the decision on who we’re gonna pick,” Davis noted last month.
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But the owner of the Silver & Black didn’t mince words with the follow up to that.
“But we’ve had that position before, and it didn’t work out. So there’s no magic bullet there, but it’s a great opportunity to get a great player, whoever they decide to pick,” Davis qualified.
The OG members of Raider Nation remember exactly who Davis was referring to there: LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, taken by the Oakland variant of the Raiders in the 2007 draft. Just on size — 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds — and arm strength alone, the Alabama native was a prototypical Raider and was supposed to help usher in a return to greatness for the Silver & Black.
But how Russell’s career went under the watchful eye of then owner Al Davis, head coaches Lane Kiffin and then Tom Cable, is forgettable. Arriving as a heralded 22-year-old prospect to done with the NFL after just three seasons and at age 24, Russell’s stat line read: 31 games, 25 starts, 7-18 win-loss record, 52.1 completion percentage, 4,083 yards, 18 touchdowns, 23 interceptions, and 70 sacks absorbed.
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Thus, it’s understandable why Mark Davis would bring up that particular portion of Silver & Black history and lore and lament on the trepidation. However, the Raiders are embarking on (yet another) new era — the Klint Kubiak version — and the owner is entrusting the head coach alongside general manager John Spytek to make a pivotal decision with the No. 1 overall pick in just over a week from now.
You’d be hard pressed to find another NFL owner that’s cycled through more head coaches and general managers during Davis’ tenure as majority owner. Most recently, it was veteran Pete Carroll as lead man and he got waxed. Before him it was Antonio Pierce, Josh McDaniels, then Jon Gruden. While the constant churn is gross from the surface, I’m going to give Davis credit for admitting mistakes — even though there were a lot of them.
He’s desperately seeking stability and Spytek got his mulligan and now he’s paired with a young and creative offensive mind.
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The duo of Spytek and Kubiak sprinted into free agency landing center Tyler Linderbaum, linebackers Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, and Segun Olubi, edge rusher Kwity Paye, wide receivers Jalen Nailor and Dareke Young, and fullback Connor Heyward. Las Vegas also added nickel cornerback Taron Johnson via trade and re-signed edge rusher Malcolm Koonce, cornerback Erick Stokes, and defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV, amongst other in-house free agents. Oh, and who could forget shipping off and then getting Maxx Crosby back after the scuttled trade with the Baltimore Ravens?
“Well, I’m really impressed with the way John and Klint are working together, along with John’s staff and the coaching staff,” Davis said. “As I said, I never wanted Maxx to leave, so I’m glad that he’s back and I’m glad that we got Tyler Linderbaum. So I think we got out of that pretty well.”
Up next is the 2026 draft — the annual event where the Raiders’ rebuild (even if Davis and others won’t label this excursion specifically as such) gets more foundational players.
This marks Spytek’s second go-around as Las Vegas chief personnel man and alongside rookie head coach Kubiak, the duo are charting a new course for a Raiders’ ship that’s ran aground far too often.
Like with his other choices at GM and head coach, Davis is giving Spytek and Kubiak full reign to operate as they see fit. Minority owner Tom Brady will have his say, too, of course, but it’ll be Spytek and Kubiak leading the charge heading into an integral 2026 campaign — unless Brady pivots and is at team headquarters in Henderson, Nevada more often than he is now.
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And, come on, we sorta/kinda know what direction Las Vegas is going with the top pick on April 23: Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. There’s probably quite folks that openly wonder why the Raiders should take the Hoosiers’ signal caller first after the team inked veteran Kirk Cousins. While he’s plenty capable and has prior working relationship with Kubiak with the Minnesota Vikings, Cousins turns 38 in August and has the looks of a bridge veteran mentor to Mendoza.
In addition, barring some king’s bounty that gets the Raiders off the No. 1 pick or somehow another prospect galvanizing the team to make them the top selection, Mendoza appears to be the Silver & Black’s eventual decision either before the event or shortly after the team is on the clock.
While the top pick is mission critical, Spytek and Kubiak have nine other selections (currently) to further stack the roster in Las Vegas. While the draft tends to be a crapshoot in nature, the Raiders also have the 36th overall pick alongside the 67th overall selection to round out their top three choices. There’s a trio of fourth rounders (102nd, 117th, 134th) following those with picks in the fifth, two in the sixth, and one in the seventh rounds.
So we’ll see what kind of prospects Las Vegas adds over the course of the three-day draft and, equally important, find out if Kubiak plays said rookies, which was much to Spytek’s chagrin with the Carroll and his staff.
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While this all goes on, Davis will watch with eager eyes, looking for a franchise turnaround — much like Raider Nation.
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