The Las Vegas Raiders need some help almost everywhere on their roster, especially on defense as they are set to have 17 free agents on the defensive side of the ball alone.
They can choose to address these needs on defense one of two ways, really. They can do it through free agency, which head coach Pete Carroll has already admitted to wanting every defensive free agent back, and they can do it through the draft.
In terms of free agency and bringing their free agents back, we know that's just not logical thinking, as some teams will offer more than the Raiders, and a player will end up leaving for more money. That's one of the realities of free agency in the NFL. Eight of those free agents are on the defensive line, their best unit in 2024. Four of them are at the edge position.
As things currently stand before free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, the Raiders just have Maxx Crosby and Tyree Wilson on the roster at that position. So, they are likely to address the position, starter, or depth, in some way. We also know that Carroll really wants Malcolm Koonce back, but for how much, and if he's the same player after that injury is still a wild card.
So, let's just say the Raiders address the edge position in the 2025 NFL Draft. Well, this defensive end, or edge rusher, class is pretty good. And, they could get one player who has drawn comparisons to Crosby.
Raiders could target Arkansas' Landon Jackson in the 2025 NFL Draft
During his 2025 NFL Combine, Landon Jackson, the Arkansas star, showed out, specifically during the vertical jump drill. His 40-inch vertical helped Jackson score a 9.88 out of 10 on his Relative Athletic Score, or RAS, which is very good, elite actually. According to A to Z Sports' Athletic Score Percentile, Jackson is the second most athletic DL at the 2025 NFL Combine. Shemar Stewart is first in the 97th%, with Jackson in the 95th%.
And, to make things even better for the Raiders, if they were to target him, he's pretty familiar with Maxx Crosby.
"I really like Maxx Crosby, I have a lot of comparisons to him," Jackson said earlier this week. "I like [Detroit Lions edge rusher] Aidan Hutchinson, you have to watch [Cleveland Browns edge rusher] Myles Garrett. But I also like [New Orleans Saints DL] Cam Jordan and [Jacksonville Jaguars DL] Erik Armstead. I feel like if I needed to, depending on the team, I could slide inside... It [playing with Crosby] would be big time. He seems like one of those vets that would be a mentor, so it would be great to play with him and learn from him."
Jackson is currently projected to be a middle to late-round pick on Day 1. But, projections aren't everything -- he could fall to the Raiders at No. 37 in the second round for all we know. Or, his elite 2025 NFL Combine performance could boost him up the team's big boards.
We're not really sure what the Raiders are going to do in free agency at the position, but if they do get Matthew Stafford, address a major need in the first round, and Jackson is there in the second, I wouldn't be surprised if they take him. Or, if they get their QB and trade back in the late first round to take him.
Either way, the Raiders would be an awesome pairing for the Arkansas edge rusher.
