7. Las Vegas Raiders: Peter Woods, DL, Clemson
Biggest need for 2026: Defense
The Raiders are really in a similar boat to that of the Carolina Panthers, but they at least have someone to write home about on this side of the ball. The Raiders are in desperate need of pieces defensively with the way this offseason has gone, both in terms of the players they lost and the players they brought in through free agency.
General manager John Spytek took a very “Moneyball” type of approach to upgrading his roster defensively, and lost a number of key players like Christian Wilkins, Robert Spillane, Trevon Moehrig, and Nate Hobbs. You really can’t go wrong here if you’re picking defense for the Raiders, but starting inside is not a bad idea.
Taking from that stellar Clemson roster is also not a bad idea, and a player on the interior like Peter Woods could help replace what Wilkins left behind.
8. Indianapolis Colts: Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
Biggest need for 2026: Clarity at QB, Offensive Line
Let’s just talk about the situation here for the Indianapolis Colts for a moment. I would venture to guess that this year is going to be Anthony Richardson’s last true shot at proving he can be the long-term option as this team’s franchise quarterback. Why would it be his last shot? Well, when you can’t stay healthy and complete less than 48 percent of your throws in a given season, teams are not going to stick around longer than two or three years.
If Richardson can’t prove to be the franchise QB this year and Daniel Jones doesn’t prove to be a Sam Darnold-like comeback story, then the QB position is going to be the primary focus for this team. But if it ends up that one of those guys is the answer, the Colts can shift their focus to the offensive line and the defensive side of the ball.
This team could get younger on the interior defensive line as well as the linebacker position on that side of the ball, and we’ll see how their investments work out in the secondary.