We’re in the hurry up and wait period of the offseason, with the Las Vegas Raiders on a summer break before training camp. But we still have this week’s mailbag to get to, touching on camp, Maxx Crosby trade rumors and a bunch of season preview questions. Let’s get to it!
Q: With the talk around Maxx Crosby getting traded not going away, assume the Raiders do deal him before the start of the season. Who is your ideal trade partner, and what is a realistic “best case” trade in your opinion? What are the odds he gets traded?
A: I got a bunch of Crosby questions this week since the trade talks in the media picked up. Someone else asked if I think there is some fire with the smoke that’s out there, and I do think there’s some truth to it because of who is saying it.
Vinny Bonsignore of the California Post (formerly of the Las Vegas Review-Journal) is the most plugged-in reporter on the beat, in my opinion, and he’s been one of the driving forces behind a Crosby trade still being alive. Less than two weeks ago, Bonsignore wrote a column about why the 49ers should trade for the pass-rusher after the Rams acquired Myles Garrett. The way I see it, if Vinny were hearing that the Raiders aren’t interested in trading Crosby anymore, he’d be pushing back against those talks rather than contributing to them.
As far as an ideal trade partner, I definitely don’t want to see Crosby go to another team in the division and would prefer it if he landed somewhere in the NFC. However, the latter wouldn’t be a deal breaker, and I’d just want to see the Raiders get the biggest return possible, even if that’s a non-AFC West AFC team. If they can get another club to come up to the two first-round picks price tag again, then that’s a perfect situation. But, realistically, it feels like a first and a second are the ceiling for the deal.
And your guess is as good as mine when it comes to the odds of a Crosby trade happening. A week ago, I felt like nothing would happen until the trade deadline, but it seems like the tide might be shifting. If there’s an update on Crosby’s knee during the downtime, that’s a good sign he’s still being shopped because it means the Raiders want to let other clubs know he’s on the market and healthy.
Q: What are the odds Jackson Powers-Johnson gets traded?
A: Before training camp, pretty low. But if Powers-Johnson doesn’t earn a starting spot by the end of camp or is falling out of favor during it, then I think it’s more likely that he gets traded than finishes the season in Las Vegas. Personally, I still like JPJ to win a starting job this summer, but he definitely has to earn it and will be on the hot seat.
Q: What’s going to be the fiercest position group battle during training camp?
A: On the topic, I think it has to be the guard battle. Both first-string roles are up for grabs, and there are five legitimate contenders between Powers-Johnson, Spencer Burford, Caleb Rogers, Jordan Meredith and Trey Zuhn III. It’s also an interesting mix of a few veterans who are trying to bounce back (JPJ, Burford and Meredith) and a couple of young guys looking to prove themselves in the NFL (Rogers and Zuhn) to add some more drama.
A: I’m with ya in that Meredith is getting overlooked as a potential starting guard option. He isn’t very big, long or strong, which makes him more reliant on positioning and technique in the trenches. But the four-year veteran is quick and a good zone-run blocker to help fit into Klint Kubiak’s offense and give him a chance to win a job.
That being said, I’d still be a little surprised if Meredith beats out the other guard options. While he played well for about half a season in 2024, that’s the only time he’s really stood out positively. So, there’s a bigger sample size of him not playing well than being a difference maker to help explain why Meredith is getting overlooked. Maybe he should be talked about more as a legitimate contender, but it feels like he’s entering training camp as the fourth option, at best.
Q: Fernando Mendoza still hasn’t signed his rookie contract. Will it happen before training camp?
A: I still wouldn’t worry about this too much. Training camp holdouts are pretty rare for rookies nowadays, and we’re still about a month away from rookies reporting. With nothing going on right now, it makes no difference if Mendoza signs his contract today or the day before camp starts. So, I wouldn’t stress about this until a week before camp starts, and we don’t even have a date for that yet. Until then, go outside and enjoy your summer!
Q: Over the years what college football team have the Raiders had the most draft picks from?
A: Rachel Gossen of the team’s website dove into this and, unsurprisingly, it’s USC.
The Raiders have selected 587 players from 198 different schools since the common draft began in 1967. No program has produced more Raiders picks than USC with 17, followed by Nebraska and UCLA with 14 each.
What’s interesting though, is that the organization hasn’t selected a former Trojan since taking wide receiver/tight end David Ausberry in the seventh round of the 2011 draft. There were just a lot of USC picks in the 1970s and a handful in the 80s to give USC a big early lead.
Q: We read all these accounts from OTAs. In your opinion, can we really know anything until pads go on? How can we really know who can block or tackle?
A: I think there is some value from the spring practices in terms of getting information on how rookies are grasping the offense and adjusting to the NFL. Also, the skill guys playing well can carry some weight since their positions aren’t as heavily dependent on physicality as the linemen’s are. But any report about a player in the trenches looking good or bad during OTAs/minicamp, I would take with a grain of salt.
Sure, it’s important for linemen to show up in shape, and they can look good in shorts. However, that means absolutely nothing until the pads come on. That’s when we’ll find out who’s really been putting in the work.
Ultimately, it’s nice to know who is playing well to stay informed of what’s going on with the Raiders during the spring, especially since that’s all that’s happening with the team at the time. But at the end of the day, all that really matters is what happens in training camp and when the pads come on. This ain’t flag football after all!
Q: Where so far does Malik’s Benson fit in?
A: On the topic, several people reported that Benson was one of the standouts from the spring, and that carries some weight since he’s a skill guy. The Raiders’ competition at wide receiver is wide open, where he could easily become the third player on the depth chart. It’s unrealistic to expect the sixth-round pick to surpass Tre Tucker and/or Jalen Nailor, but the rest of the receivers have little to no NFL production so far, leaving the door open for anyone to make a name for themselves.
Something I think will help Benson’s case is that he fits Kubiak’s “type” at the position (see the related article below).
Q: Why is everyone sleeping on Dareke Young? I don’t think he came with Klint Kubiak to return kicks. What do you think about him?
A: Young will have an opportunity to prove himself in training camp, but it’s hard to generate buzz around a guy who has had four career catches in four seasons. I don’t know much about him as a receiver because he’s barely played on offense and has just been a special teamer so far in his career.
A: I lean toward five wideouts. Rostering a fullback changes the math a bit when it comes to the 53-man roster, where one position group is going to have to carry one fewer player than normal. I think that will probably be receiver since it’s not like the Raiders have a ton of talent there. Plus, that position group has three rookie undrafted free agents in it (E.J. Williams, Chase Roberts and Jonathan Brady) who can be stashed on the practice squad, assuming they don’t get claimed or want to sign elsewhere.
I agree with your top four there, with the big omission being Dont’e Thornton Jr. I’ll leave a spicy, mid-June take for y’all this week: I like E.J. Williams’ chances of making the team more than Thornton’s!
In doing my Mendoza Mania series, Williams keeps popping up with a handful of impressive catches. He can play, and I think he probably would have gotten drafted if it weren’t for the late-season emergence of Charlie Becker at Indiana last year. Having chemistry with Mendoza will be huge during the preseason, too. What gives me pause about Williams is that he’s going to have to prove himself and outduel Young on special teams if the coaching staff only rosters five receivers.
A: For starters, I have a hard time buying that a guy who hasn’t had more than 330 receiving yards in a season is an extension candidate right now. I like Mayer and am interested to see how he fits into Kubiak’s plans, but I’m not going to say that he’s done anything close to earning an extension before his current deal is up.
I don’t have a firm answer on how he’ll play this season or if he’ll live up to the draft buzz. Mayer is entering a contract year, so it really is now or never when it comes to his tenure in Las Vegas. Barring him balling out to begin the campaign, an extension is highly unlikely until the offseason.
A: Tonka Hemingway has a chance to win a starting job in training camp by beating out Jonah Laulu or Thomas Booker IV, and I think the shift to a 3-4 scheme could benefit Hemingway because he profiles best as a 4i-technique defensive end type of player. Personally, it wouldn’t be surprising if he beats out Booker, because Hemingway has the higher ceiling of the two, and I did like what he showed at the end of last year.
The South Carolina product has a good combination of strength and athleticism, and really stands out as an interior pass-rusher. Consistency will be key for him moving forward because, as you said, he’s shown flashes, but it’s the full body of work that’s needed to become a legitimate starter in the NFL. I won’t guarantee that Hemingway will be different than the other promising players who flamed out, but he is someone to keep tabs on during the 2026 campaign, starting in training camp.
Q: If you have a third and one, and the center hikes the ball to the quarterback but pulls the ball back. In essence, keeping the ball then falls forward and gains the necessary yards for a first down. Is this a legal play?
A: As long as the ball leaves the center’s hands for an exchange (or at least an attempt at one, meaning a botched snap still counts) with another player—i.e., the quarterback—yes, that’s a legal play. It would be hard to execute because the defensive line will be moving once the ball is snapped, and I’d think the center would have to stay still to get the ball back without fumbling, but it’d count if it works. LOL!
That’ll do it for this week’s mailbag. Thank you all for submitting questions and, as your weekly reminder, if you’d like to have your questions answered in a future column, tweet them at me, @MHolder95, email them to SBPQuestions1@gmail.com or look for our weekly call for questions on the site. The latter will continue to publish on Thursdays.
