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Raiders Trade Up, Draft Versatile DB Treydan Stukes

4/25/2026

Summary

Raiders Draft Stukes

The Las Vegas Raiders drafted Treydan Stukes with the 38th pick in 2026 NFL Draft, having traded their 36th and 117th picks to Houston for the 38th and 91st.
Stukes, 24, recorded 206 tackles, seven interceptions, 29 pass breakups and a 4.33-second 40-yard dash with a 38-inch vertical.
General manager John Spytek said Stukes’ intelligence and self-lessness will let him play safety, nickel and corner, bolstering secondary with eight interceptions.

Summary

Raiders Trade Down

The Raiders traded down with Houston, gaining a third-round pick (No. 91) and moving down two spots.
The pick adds capital to fill wide receiver, defensive tackle and offensive line gaps.
All three Raiders safeties—Isaiah Pola-Mao, Jeremy Chinn, and Tristin McCollum—are on one-year deals, leaving position’s future uncertain.
They entered the draft with ten picks, four inside the top 91, and planned to fill the safety need now while targeting positions later.

Summary

Stukes Drafted

Stukes became the first Arizona Wildcat drafted in 2026 after joining as a 2020 walk-on, earning a scholarship in 2021 and captaining the team.
He recovered from a 2024 torn ACL, then earned All-Big 12 First-Team and Third-Team All-American honors in 2025.
In his senior year he tied for second in the Big 12 with four interceptions and was projected as a nickel cornerback or safety.

History

Historical Context

The 1998 NFL draft underscored a league-wide shift toward premium defensive backs, echoing the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 1993 four-year, $12 million contract that made Charles Woodson the NFL’s highest-paid DB and earned him Defensive Player of the Year honors. Teams now view such investments as a way to reshape secondary performance and inspired later franchises to trade down for versatile safeties.

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Raiders Draft Stukes

The Las Vegas Raiders drafted Treydan Stukes with the 38th pick in 2026 NFL Draft, having traded their 36th and 117th picks to Houston for the 38th and 91st.
Stukes, 24, recorded 206 tackles, seven interceptions, 29 pass breakups and a 4.33-second 40-yard dash with a 38-inch vertical.
General manager John Spytek said Stukes’ intelligence and self-lessness will let him play safety, nickel and corner, bolstering secondary with eight interceptions.

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