All year long, general manager John Spytek and the scouts worked miles to prepare before arriving on time Thursday. After entering the draft with 10 picks, the Raiders made 10 selections by wheeling and dealing. Eight of them came within the first 175 picks as Spytek made five trades.

Let’s analyze all of the Raiders draft selections.

Las Vegas Raiders officially select Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall

Since the Raiders knew they had the top pick heading into Week 18, Spytek had his eye on one player. Winning the Heisman Trophy and a national championship made Fernando Mendoza’s case even stronger.

“We had a great process and we promised ourselves, the ownership group, the fans that we would do it the right way,” Spytek said. “We didn’t start with the end in mind. Every step of the way, he checked the boxes. He made it very easy for us to realize this was the right guy at the right time for the Raiders.”

Connected:Fernando Mendoza is exactly what the Raiders were missing

No. 38: Treydon Stukes, S, Arizona

For the second year in a row, Spytech found value with a second round of declines. Originally holding the 36th pick, Las Vegas traded that selection and the 117th pick to Houston to acquire the 38th and 91st picks. The 38th became Stukes, a safety from Arizona who recorded four interceptions and six pass breakups last season. They had first round potential before losing to the Raiders in the second round.

Read also: Ashton Jeanty has the tools, the plan and the platform to head into Year 2 with the Raiders

No. 67: Kieron Crawford, EDGE, Auburn

With their third-round selection, the Raiders selected Crawford, an edge rusher from Auburn. He joins Max Crosby and Kwity Paye in the defensive end room. Malcolm Koons is on a one-year deal, and Tyree Wilson — who was traded Saturday — is expected to be a free agent after the season. This clears the way for Crawford to develop into a long-term contributor.

No. 91: Trey Zuhn III, C, Texas A&M

The second pick from the Houston trade, Zuhn continues the team’s investment in the offensive line. After signing Tyler Linderbaum this offseason and drafting Jackson Powers-Johnson two years ago, Las Vegas continues to move forward. Zuhn ranked first out of 632 eligible offensive linemen in PFF pass-blocking grade last season with a 96.8, leading to 10 total pressures – including two sacks and a hit – with only one penalty.

Also Read: 5 Las Vegas Raiders Whose April Minicamp Appearance Tells Us Everything

No. 101: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

To begin the third and final day of the draft, Spitek made his second trade, acquiring the 101st overall pick from Buffalo for the 102nd pick and a seventh-round selection the following year. Las Vegas moved up one spot to running back McCoy, a cornerback from Tennessee with potential top-10 upside who went down in January with a torn ACL. His recovery will determine whether the Raiders take full advantage of the move.

No. 122: Mike Washington Jr., RB, Arkansas

Despite sending the 117th pick to Houston, Spytek moved up again in the fourth round, receiving the 122nd pick from Atlanta for the 134th and 208th picks. Washington, 6 feet and 225 pounds, ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the combine and totaled 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns on 167 carries for the Razorbacks last season. He serves as the backup to Ashton Jeanty and brings the size and explosiveness to break off a big run.

RELATED: Ashton Jeanty has the tools, plan and platform for Year 2 with the Raiders

No. 150: Dalton Johnson, S, Arizona

The Raiders made their third pick of the final day by acquiring the 219th pick and the 150th pick from New Orleans in exchange for Wilson. Las Vegas drafted Johnson, Stuck’s former Arizona teammate, who is known for his versatility – he can play free safety, strong safety, nickel and slot.

No. 175: Hezekiah Maas, CB, Cal

Just when you thought the Raiders were focused on the secondary, Las Vegas drafted Hezekiah Maas out of UC Berkeley. Last year with the Golden Bears, Masses recorded five interceptions and nine pass breakups.

The Raiders drafted Janata out of California, their fourth defensive pick of the draft. He recorded five interceptions and nine pass breakups last season for the Golden Bears. His selection, along with Stucks and Johnson, allows Las Vegas to rotate Isaiah Pola-Mao and Jeremy Chinn into the nickel and strong safety roles.

No. 195: Malik Benson, WR, Oregon

The Raiders traded the 185th pick to Tampa Bay for the 195th and 229th picks, and used the first of them on Benson. He led Oregon with 716 yards and six touchdowns last season and projects as a deep threat for Mendoza. A nice project for Clint Kubiak, but far from north for the thin wide receiver room.

No. 229: Brandon Cleveland, DT, NC State

With their 10th and final pick, the Raiders took Cleveland, a defensive tackle from NC State. He started two seasons on the Wolfpack’s defensive line and had 10 tackles for loss his last two years, giving Las Vegas interior pass-rush depth on all three downs.

Also read: Jack Beech and Donte Thornton are auditioning for their job with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2026

Braven Honda graduated from San Diego State with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism in May 2021. During his time at SDSU, … More about Braven Honda

LOS ANGELES – After a disappointing loss against the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers got back on track with a 1128-117 win against the Indiana Pacers on Friday. Luka Doncic led the Lakers with a game-high 44 points, but it wasn’t their offense that he wanted to talk about following the game.

Throughout the season, the media and fans alike have talked about Luka Doncic’s offensive game, but there has been very little mention of his defensive impact for the Lakers. So much so that it has actually become an underestimated part of his skill-set.

“I know people will never talk about it. Just trying to do my job,” Doncic said during his postgame press conference. “Trying to be more offensive, trying to be more engaged. Just trying to be better defensively.”

Doncic’s defense was certainly on display during the Lakers’ win against the Pacers. He finished with two blocked shots and three steals, including an impressive block where he hit Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith who thought he could get an easy look at the basket. The block immediately caused the Lakers’ fast break.

Doncic carries a huge offensive load for the Lakers, and he is very explosive when it comes to scoring the basketball. Perhaps that’s why it’s easy to overlook his defensive impact. But the numbers don’t lie. When it comes to regular rotation players, Doncic is second only to Jared Vanderbilt in defensive rating at 114.4, according to StatMuse.

Vanderbilt is easily one of the Lakers’ top defenders; You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who disagrees. But Doncic also deserves some credit for his role on the defensive end. And for head coach JJ Redick, it’s not just getting stops or steals or blocks that measures Doncic’s impact.

“I think he’s had really good stretches, and then sustainable stretches leading up to the game,” Redick said during his pregame press conference. “And then it seems like occasionally there’s a play where the engagement and effort isn’t there. There are times within the game where maybe one or two possessions happen. But I would say across the board, on our team, outside of maybe Marcus Smart, that’s the situation for our guys on that end of the field.”

“We have the numbers. When he switches on the ball, it’s the fewest of any player on our perimeter in terms of points per possession. So I think he’s done a good job. He’s shown he can control the basketball,” Redick continued. “He’s obviously one of the best wing defensive rebounders in the NBA. He’s able to generate steals and deflections. With some provocation, also taking charges. So he’s doing a lot of good things defensively.”

On the season, Doncic has appeared in 51 games, a little over 35 minutes per game. He is averaging a league-leading 32.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.5 steals while splitting 47.5 percent shooting from the field, 36.2 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 77.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

The Cleveland Browns have had a busy offseason, moving on from Kevin Stefanski and hiring Todd Monken as their new head coach. Soon, they will focus on improving a roster that went just 5-12 this season.

But Brown is in the news Monday for reasons that are completely out of his control.

This time, it’s because Browns safety Ronnie Hickman was attacked by four men in Manhattan. The incident occurred just after 4:30 a.m. in the lobby of the Sixty Less Hotel on Allen Street in Manhattan

Investigators are still trying to determine whether Hickman was specifically targeted because of his profession as an NFL player, or whether the attackers also knew who he was.

Four men reportedly attacked Hickman, then fled the scene. Hickman was then taken to a nearby hospital in Bellevue, where he was reported to be in stable condition before later being released.

The Browns released a brief statement on the incident.

“Safety Ronny Hickman was the victim of an assault at a New York City hotel early Monday morning. Ronny was treated at an area hospital for minor injuries following the incident, was later released, and is resting at home with his family.”

Authorities have not disclosed whether they have made any arrests related to the attack on Hickman.

Hickman is coming off the best season of his career, where the former undrafted free agent signee started all 17 games. He recorded a career-high 103 tackles (1 TFL), seven pass deflections, and two interceptions.

He is set for restricted free agency this offseason, where he has set himself up to earn a big raise from the $1.04 million salary he is due in 2025.

RELATED: Cleveland Browns become ‘preferred landing spot’ for dual-threat QB

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