Latest On Raiders’ Second-Round Plans; Team To Meet With CB Chris Johnson
There is little doubt the Raiders will use the first overall pick in the draft on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. On the other hand, there is far less certainty surrounding their second-round choice (No. 36 overall). Wide receiver and right tackle are among the areas the Raiders could address with that selection, Matt Miller of ESPN hears.
While veteran free agent pickup Kirk Cousins may be new head coach Klint Kubiak‘s starting QB to open 2026, the Raiders will expect Mendoza to be their long-term answer. Drafting either a receiver or an offensive lineman in Round 2 would be an attempt to provide more help for the prized signal-caller.
As a rookie general manager in 2025, John Spytek spent second- and fourth-round picks on receivers Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton. Those two remain unproven after combining for a meager 30 catches and no touchdowns as rookies. Tre Tucker led Raiders wideouts in receptions (57), yards (696) and touchdowns (five) last season, but he is scheduled to reach free agency next March. While the Raiders inked ex-Viking Jalen Nailor to a three-year, $35MM contract in free agency, he has never reached the 30-catch mark in a season.
If the Raiders pick up another newcomer for their receiving corps in the second round, Alabama’s Germie Bernard may be a realistic option. The Raiders visited with the Las Vegas native last month. Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranks Bernard as the seventh-best receiver in this year’s class. It is less likely anyone from Brugler’s top six – Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, Jordyn Tyson, Kevin Concepcion and Omar Cooper Jr. (Mendoza’s college teammate) and Denzel Boston – will be available to the Raiders at 36.
Turning to right tackle, DJ Glaze has been the Raiders’ primary option since former GM Tom Telesco took him in the third round of the 2024 draft. Glaze is coming off his first 17-start season, though Pro Football Focus ranked his play a bottom-tier 60th among 78 tackles. Meanwhile, soon-to-be 31-year-old left tackle Kolton Miller missed all but four games as a result of a high ankle sprain and hairline fracture. Thanks in part to their issues at tackle, the Raiders allowed a league-worst 64 sacks. Geno Smith took a beating in his lone season as the Raiders’ quarterback. They obviously want better protection for Cousins and Mendoza.
The Raiders have vastly improved their offensive line this offseason with the signing of premier center Tyler Linderbaum to a record-setting pact in free agency. Someone like Arizona State tackle Max Iheanachor could be on their radar if they want to continue strengthening their line in the second round.
Although offense may be the more likely path with the Raiders’ second selection, they are still putting in work on high-level defensive prospects. The team has scheduled a visit with San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson, per Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports. Brugler ranks Johnson as the 24th-best prospect in this class. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com is less bullish, but he still places Johnson 40th.
Johnson, who picked off four passes in 2025 and earned Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors, could be the Raiders’ choice if they go defense in the second round. He would join Eric Stokes and 2025 third-rounder Darien Porter as the Raiders’ top boundary corners. Johnson also has experience in the slot. The Raiders added veteran slot corner Taron Johnson in a trade with the Bills last month, but he is nearing 30 and coming off back-to-back injury-limited seasons.
Cornerback Chris Johnson To Retire
Former NFL cornerback Chris Johnson has decided to retire, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Johnson, 35 next month, last played in 2012, when he won a Super Bowl as a member of the Ravens secondary.
Johnson, a Louisville product, was 2003 seventh-round pick by the Packers. He bounced around the league for four seasons, spending time with the Rams and Chiefs, before landing with the Raiders in 2007. He experienced his most success while in Oakland, beginning as a reserve and special-teamer before starting 15 games in 2009. Johnson ultimately signed an $11.3MM extension with the Raiders, and remained with the team through the 2011 season.
After joining the Ravens in 2012, Johnson was pressed into duty following injuries to Baltimore’s top corners, Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith. He started one game that season, and played in the Ravens’ AFC Championship victory over the Patriots. He was released in August 2013.