Raiders defensive sort out Christian Wilkins missed most of his debut yr in Las Vegas after season-ending surgical procedure to restore a Jones fracture in his foot. Now, according to Sportkeeda’s Tony Pauline, he’s susceptible to lacking “a good portion of the 2025 season” on account of a possible second process on his foot.
Wilkins signed a four-year, $110M contract with the Raiders final March which made him the second-highest-paid DT within the NFL. He recorded 2.0 sacks in his first 5 video games in Las Vegas earlier than touchdown on injured reserve. The Raiders already want depth alongside the inside of their defensive position, and an prolonged absence from Wilkins would make the place a dire want. That might impression the workforce’s plans within the upcoming draft.
Las Vegas, who holds the sixth general choose in Thursday’s draft, was considered a likely landing spot for Boise State working again Ashton Jeanty. Now that he’s trending towards the Jaguars at No. 5, the Raiders are anticipated to pivot to the trenches with their first-rounder. Michigan defensive sort out Mason Graham and Missouri offensive sort out Armand Membou are the main candidates, per Pauline, in addition to Texas offensive sort out Kelvin Banks Jr., according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
The potential for Wilkins to overlook time this yr might tilt the Raiders’ curiosity in direction of Graham, who’s the consensus DT1 within the 2025 class. Normal supervisor John Spytek and minority proprietor Tom Brady had been roommates in Ann Arbor in faculty and will look so as to add one other Wolverine to the combo. Graham additionally had a protracted name with defensive position coach Rob Leonard, per Fowler, with a visitor look from potential teammate Maxx Crosby.
Nevertheless, some inside the Raiders group are pushing for an offensive lineman, based on Diana Russini of The Athletic. Left sort out Kolton Miller
is looking for an extension within the final yr of his contract, and the brand new regime in Las Vegas might favor to draft his substitute as an alternative. Both Membou or Banks might compete for a beginning job at guard or proper sort out as a rookie with the long-term aim of taking on on the left facet in a while.
The Raiders have additionally explored buying and selling up from the No. 6 choose, per Russini. They could possibly be trying to leap the Jaguars for Jeanty after doing intensive work on him in the course of the predraft course of.
