The Raiders selected Benson in the sixth round of the NFL Draft out of Oregon, and he will compete for a role in Las Vegas this season. Benson is not worth drafting in seasonal leagues, and he's a late-round flier at best in rookie-only drafts for Dynasty leagues. The good news for Benson is that he landed in the right place since the Raiders' receiving corps is weak on paper with Jalen Nailor, Tre Tucker and Jack Bech as the top three options. Benson could earn playing time and targets if he develops a rapport with Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins early in the year. If that happens, then add Benson off the waiver wire. At Oregon in 2025, Benson had 43 catches for 719 yards and six touchdowns, and he ran a 4.37-second, 40-yard dash.
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Raiders' Malik Benson: Zeros in finale
Rotowire
Benson failed to catch his only target in Thursday night's preseason finale against the 49ers.
The sixth-round rookie has been a roster assumption due to the draft capital utilized on him, but back-to-back poor showings in the preseason do not leave much to be excited about so far. Benson has had a strong training camp despite the game-time struggles, so it remains to be seen how high his usage could be as the regular season gets underway.
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Raiders' Malik Benson: Poor showing in second preseason game
Rotowire
Benson caught one of five targets for 18 yards in Thursday's 22-20 preseason win over the Texans.
Benson's stock had been on the rise thanks to a strong training camp in which he earned opportunities with the first-team offense, but the 2026 sixth-round pick produced a dud in Vegas' second preseason game. He struggled to get on the same page with fellow rookie Fernando Mendoza, and one of their incompletions was an ugly Benson drop on third down in the second quarter, which resulted in the Raiders punting rather than moving the chains. Benson still has an opportunity to carve out a substantial role in Vegas' wide receiver room, and he'll look to bounce back in next Thursday's preseason finale against the 49ers.
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Raiders' Malik Benson: Earning first-team reps
Rotowire
Benson has been getting more reps with the first-team offense, Levi Edwards of the Raiders' official site reports.
"[Benson's] earned those reps but he's got to stay humble and stay hungry," head coach Klint Kubiak told reporters after Sunday's training camp practice. Benson, a sixth-round selection of the 2026 NFL Draft, played 20 snaps on offense during the Raiders' 27-14 preseason loss to the Cardinals on Thursday and caught two passes (on four targets) for 26 yards while returning one kickoff for 21 yards. There are still a few weeks to go before the regular season gets underway, but for now, it appears as though Benson is pushing Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton (undisclosed) for the WR3 role behind Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor.
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Raiders' Malik Benson: Impressing early
Rotowire
Benson turned heads during the Raiders' mandatory minicamp, Levi Edwards of the team's official site reports.
Edwards identified Benson as one of the biggest standouts of the Raiders' offseason program, noting that the rookie connected with multiple quarterbacks on deep passes during practices open to the media. The sixth-round pick enters training camp in what Ryan McFadden of ESPN reports to be an open competition at wide receiver, and his speed and ability to stretch the field could help him carve out a role if he builds on that momentum. Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton represent Benson's main competition for snaps.
