HENDERSON, NEVADA - MAY 02: Treydan Stukes #31 of the Las Vegas Raiders runs drills during the team's rookie minicamp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Health Performance Center on May 02, 2026 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) | Getty Images Announced as a safety when his name was called up at the podium of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders appear set to not pigeon hole second-round pick Treydan Stukes. This particular Arizona Wildcat played a wide array of roles in the secondary and as our Matt Holder explored at the tail end of April, the versatile ballhawk’s penchant to create turnovers is sorely needed in Las Vegas. The lack of takeaways is indeed glaring, as was the Raiders’ need for more talent at safety — particularly the free safety spot. While Stukes has the ability to play the role as a deep safety, his collegiate snaps were very limited in that regard. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), the 6-foot-2 and 200-pound defensive back truly encompassed that generalization as he notched 1,174 snaps at nickel cornerback, 943 snaps at outside/boundary cornerback, 464 as a box defender (strong safety/linebacker), and lastly 39 as a deep safety in split looks. Thus, a traditional, run-of-the-mill safety Stukes is not. But it’s that versatility the Arizona native possesses that made him the prospect to select with the 38th overall pick in the draft this past April. “Yeah, I’m super grateful for that. I pride myself on trying to be a smart football player, and I’m glad that they see it the same way,” Stukes said after the Raiders’ training camp practice this past Friday, when asked about the confidence coaches have in him to take on different roles. “I want to be able to help the team with things in any way I can, and if that means learning multiple positions, then I’ll keep doing that.” It’s no secret that Stukes had a slow start to camp where he was relegated to second- and even third-team snaps. He’s ramped up first-team looks as of late but that shouldn’t be surprising. His hybrid role of nickel and safety positions is complex but he’s gaining confidence. Also compounding that is having an elite nickel cornerback in Taron Johnson and veteran Isaiah Pola-Mao at the free safety spot. That all noted, the lack of first-team reps for Stukes isn’t overly concerning — yet.
Treydan Stukes has worked with the 2s throughout #Raiders camp. Nickel’s will be asked to do so much in Rob Leonard’s defense so they’re likely bringing him along slowly. It feels like he’ll start to make a push next week after they’ve completed their full install on both sides… pic.twitter.com/4kUG1clucj — Jesse Merrick – Silver & Black Sports Network (@JesseSBSN) August 6, 2026
Shining “Star” In defensive coordinator Rob Leonard’s scheme, the nickel cornerback is dubbed as a “star” chess piece that’s able to cover, drop the hammer as a tackler, and bring the pain as an active blitzer. The coverage versatility entails matching up with slot receivers, tight ends, and even running backs and being able to play close to the line of scrimmage and rotating back to the deep safety spot or dropping into zone to disguise the play call. Being a sound physical tackler is vital as the nickel corner in Leonard’s system acts as an extra front-seven defender that can fill gaps and make stops in space. Lastly, by leveraging timing, angles, and protection gaps, the star defender is often asked to blitz to help stymie the run or pressure/drop the quarterback. These are traits that Johnson — acquired via trade from the Buffalo Bills on March 8 — excelled at over the course of his eight seasons in the league (all with Buffalo) since being drafted in the fourth round (121st overall) of the 2018 draft out of Weber State. The role is punishing on the player’s body, however, as the 5-foot-11, 192-pound, 30-year-old veteran has missed games throughout his career with various ailments. Stukes profiles as a bigger and faster (clocked an impressive 4.33-second 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine) player to man the nickel spot. Thus, athletically, there’s little concern that Stukes can fill the role. It’s the mental part — which is just as taxing as the role is physically — that needs to be equally on par. And it’s something that’s growing with each practice.
“I think it’s kind of what you would expect. The game is just a little bit faster, a little more complex. It takes a lot to play this game at a high level. And when you’re trying to learn multiple positions at the same time, it’s a lot of information to take on at once,” Stukes admitted. “I think as you get confident in the scheme and you start to understand the plays as a whole, what we’re trying to accomplish with the calls, that’s when it kind of slows down for you. You can immerse yourself in both positions and be able to help the defense in different ways.”
But like Stukes noted above, the confidence the coaching staff has in him is matched by his enthusiasm to be a chess piece in the Raiders’ defense. A scheme that is set to put players in the best possible position succeed. “I think this is a really, really fun scheme to be a part of. I think it gives defensive backs a lot of chances to make plays and a lot of chances to show your talents,” Stukes said. “If you’re good at something, they’re going to make sure that you’re able to do it, and they put you in a spot to do so. So, I think this is a really good scheme and I think it’s going to help our defense.”
Treydan Stukes punt defense rep. Klint Kubiak lauded the second-rounder’s effort on special teams so far. pic.twitter.com/gVrTJPVues — Sam Warren (@samwarren83) August 10, 2026
Deciding Depth Having both Johnson and Pola-Mao on the roster gives Las Vegas the opportunity to be straight forward or get creative. But having the two veterans also provides the defensive coaching staff the opportunity to hone and be patient with Stukes’ development. Sure, the 38th overall picking not sprinting forward with pre-dominant first-team snaps can be disconcerting, having an elite nickel corner ahead of him mitigates that. And Pola-Mao, who struggled as a full-time starter at free safety in 2025, is looking to rebound especially on his final year of a two-year contract extension he inked. Ditto for strong safety Jeremy Chinn who is on the final leg of his two-year pact this coming season. At some point, Stukes involvement and snaps will need to exponentially multiply considering Johnson’s age and injury history, alongside both Pola-Mao and Chinn with expiring contracts (sans additional extensions) next offseason. Stukes is certainly taking advantage of having the veterans in front of him. “TJ (Taron Johnson) is a super savvy vet. He’s been playing for a good amount of time and he’s seen a lot. He’s done a lot. He’s played this game at a high level and in that position at high level for a while,” Stukes said. “So, for us to have a guy like that, it’s super helpful. It allows our scheme to do different things. I think he’s a great role model for me in his versatility and how he’s able to help the defense in multiple spots.” Johnson is even shifting to safety in the big nickel sets the Raiders deployed in practices. In those looks, it’s Chinn who moves down into the nickel spot to be a box defender, blitzer, and cover man. Additionally, Stukes isn’t the lone Wildcat on the Raiders roster.
Dalton Johnson's versatility is making the late-round rookie a standout with the preseason just a few days away Watch an all-new Upon Further Review with Dalton Johnson 📺 https://t.co/Ead4Yiquch 📰 https://t.co/aLdFlbmRMapic.twitter.com/crnMRqWK0S — Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 7, 2026
The team also drafted his collegiate tag team partner, Dalton Johnson, in the fifth round (150th overall). While smaller and slower (4.41 timed speed) than his Arizona teammate, the 5-foot-11 and 198-pound Texas native received first-team looks this offseason so the coaching staff can test Johnson’s capabilities. Profiled as a more of a physical and stronger tackler with sneaky takeaway skillset than his highly drafted teammate, Johnson was a versatile piece of the Wildcats defense logging 702 snaps in the box, 574 at free safety, 480 at strong safety, and another 463 as a nickel cornerback. Expect both Arizona products to get plenty of opportunities on Joe DeCamillis’ special teams groups. And while what head coach Klint Kubiak said specifically of Stukes likely ruffled feathers — because special teams was identified and not defense, per say — it rings true. “I like how hard he plays special teams,” Kubiak answered when asked what he likes about Stukes. “He’s a guy that’s going to challenge guys for spots in many places on defense and on teams. But I like that he’s a team first guy and it shows up in the way that he plays teams.”