The Las Vegas Raiders need help at wide receiver, considering they don’t have a reliable No. 1 and many could argue a No. 2 option at the position. Last offseason, the Silver and Black drafted Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr., but their development under former head coach Pete Carroll didn’t materialize.
As a result, while those two players could turn into key pieces in 2026, the Raiders need to find a guy that the QB can go to outside of Brock Bowers, especially if the team intends to draft former Indiana Hoosiers QB, Fernando Mendoza.
However, the Raiders need to get a guy that Mendoza can turn to when needing to make a pass in a clutch situation, and that’s where a veteran wideout could make sense. Moreover, one name in the speculation mill is Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ Mike Evans, who played with minority owner Tom Brady.
Nonetheless, The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen believes that the Raiders, who are in the early stages of their rebuild, shouldn’t be pursuing the veteran wideout.
“Two teams [the Raiders and the Tennessee Titans] that should not be interested [in Evans] with where they’re at in their rebuilding stages,” Nguyen wrote on X on March 5.
Can Jack Bech Step Up in 2026 for the Raiders?
Ashton Jeanty and Bowers are two of the weapons Mendoza is likely to lean on, but can someone like Jack Bech emerge? Raiders general manager John Spytek spoke about whether Bech can become a No. 1 outside wideout for them.
“I trust Jack Bech, the football player, you know?” Spytek told reporters on Feb. 24. “I mean, where he aligns we’re going to move people all over the place. I think you guys saw how Klint used [Jaxon Smith‑Njigba]. They’re going to move him all over the place. So we’re not going to be an offense where we just stick a guy, and he’s the No. 1 guy on the outside.
“I also don’t think there are many of those guys walking around on the face of the earth like you’re talking about, the true Xs. So if you’re lucky enough to get one of them you hold on to them for dear life. And if you don’t, then you make it work with what you got.”
Should Las Vegas Consider Drafting Elijah Sarratt?
With free agency and the draft approaching, Las Vegas has an opportunity to bolster its pass-catching options.
One potential scenario for the Raiders is selecting Mendoza with the top pick and using their second-round pick on former Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt. On the Feb. 23 edition of the “Raiders Squad Show,” former offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy shared his thoughts on whether the front office should consider drafting Sarratt.
“Depending on the price, because if you could recreate that chemistry that they had in, say, last year in Indiana that would be notable,” Kennedy said. “You have a quarterback who’s familiar with the receiver… If you have that familiarity with the said receiver that Mendoza and Sarratt would have, especially coming back from Indiana, had an international championship run, that would be good.”
Raiders Hit With Strong Take Involving Buccaneers’ Mike Evans