ESPN names Raiders draft pick among Day 2-3 'instant impact' rookies
ESPN rounded up the rookies from the last two days of the NFL Draft to name those who will make instant impacts. And a Raiders pick made the list.
The Las Vegas Raiders left the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh with one of the top rookie classes in the entire league. The Raiders selected star quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick, while also adding excellent depth to the secondary by selecting Arizona safety Treydan Stukes in the second round. Las Vegas was also able to land former Auburn defensive end Keyron Crawford and Texas A&M center Trey Zuhn lll in the third round, and each player could quickly begin to make an impact during their rookie campaigns next season.
Zuhn is an extremely versatile lineman who spent the majority of his time at Texas A&M playing left tackle. The rising star was recently featured on ESPN’s “2026 NFL Rookies: Day 2-3 draft picks with instant impact” piece, with NFL analyst Field Yates declaring Zuhn as a potential Week 1 starter. “Zuhn is an easy mover with really good length (6-foot-6, 319 pounds) and could play an interior spot in Klint Kubiak's zone-heavy scheme.
” He wrote. “While big-ticket free agent Tyler Linderbaum has center locked, Zuhn should compete for guard snaps instantly. ” Zuhn spent all five seasons of his college career at Texas A&M from 2021-2025.
The lineman served as the Aggies’ center throughout the second half of 2025, and Zuhn has logged over 50 total starts at Texas A&M across his five seasons in College Station. The former Aggie may earn a starting role on the Raiders’ offensive line with a strong performance during training camp, and Zuhn could emerge as one of the top overall steals from the 2026 NFL Draft throughout his rookie campaign in Las Vegas. This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: ESPN names Raiders draft pick among Day 2-3 'instant impact' rookies