Raiders Get More Speed with WR Malik Benson
The Las Vegas Raiders selected Oregon WR Malik Benson in Round 6 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Benson starred for two seasons at Hutchinson Community College and left as the school’s all-time leader in receiving yards (2,152). That breakout caught Nick Saban’s eye and earned him a transfer to Alabama. But the jump in competition crushed the production. Benson wound up seventh on the Tide in catches (13) and sixth in receiving yards (162). A 2024 move to Florida State found only marginal improvement (25-311-1), due at least in part to poor QB play. Benson bounced back this past season at Oregon, leading the team with 719 receiving yards and finishing second to TE Kenyon Sadiq with 43 catches and 6 TDs. His 2.60 yards per route ranked seventh among the 49 WRs invited to this year’s Combine. Benson averaged 16.7 yards per catch for the Ducks and confirmed that big-play ability with a 4.37-second 40 time at the Combine. He’s undersized at 189 pounds, though, and enters the NFL as an unrefined 23-year-old.