The Las Vegas Raiders have been fortunate to have Maxx Crosby on the roster, who has been one of the best pass rushers in the NFL for a few years now. However, they haven’t always surrounded him with elite running mates.
Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins was supposed to be somebody who could take attention off Crosby, but it’s starting to look like there’s a chance he won’t be able to play this season. Giving Crosby another defensive lineman who can consistently get after the quarterback could unlock another part of his game.
This year might be difficult to find one unless Malcolm Koonce can return to form, but there’s a good chance the Raiders go defensive line in next year’s draft. In Matt Miller’s 2026 mock draft for ESPN, he projects that the Raiders will select Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. with the No. 7 pick.
“Seven of the Raiders’ 11 picks in 2025 came on offense, including five of the first six,” Miller wrote. “So it’s time to pick up a defense that has to face Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Bo Nix twice per season. Las Vegas needs to find Maxx Crosby help on the edge, and Bain’s speed-to-power ability could give it that Crosby complement. Bain has 11 sacks in his two college seasons, using his length to create space he can crash through with his trademark power. The 6-foot-3, 275-pound Bain has the build and tools to make an immediate impact from the left edge.”
Background on Bain
Bain had an excellent freshman year with Miami in 2023. He had 7.5 sacks and was named ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. His sophomore season wasn’t as successful. He was limited to nine games and only had 3.5 sacks.
He’ll need to have a big season in 2025 if he’s going to be a top-10 draft pick. He certainly has the athletic tools to be an NFL player, but he’s a bit raw. This will be a big year for him.
What About Tyree Wilson?
It’s also easy to forget that the Raiders have a recent top-10 pick defensive end currently on the roster. Tyree Wilson was highly touted coming out of college, but hasn’t made a big impact in his first two seasons.
However, teams knew it was going to take time for him to catch on. Year 3 will be his best chance yet to prove that he was worthy of his draft pick. He’s well aware of this and is hoping to have a breakout season in 2025.
“Man, going back looking at my previous two years,” Wilson said earlier in the offseason, “first year, foot injury. I got in, took a lot time away from ball and it just went fast. It was a blur. Last year, I started to grow, started to feel the game starting to slow down a little bit. But the twitch and the reaction, it wasn’t there all the way. It started to develop after the bye. Now I’m just coming in and it started in OTAs and transitions to camp and then into the season.”
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