Hondo Carpenter#14 of 87 NFL pundits · Aug 5, 2026
Carpenter says Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor and rookie Malik Benson are clearly the Raiders' top three receivers, expects Phillip Dorsett to lose his spot to a younger receiver in the rebuild, and believes UDFAs Chase Roberts, Corey Rucker and EJ Williams have legitimate shots at making the roster. He also predicts QB Jacob Clark develops on the practice squad and that the Raiders will not trade both Aidan O'Connell and Kirk Cousins by midseason.
Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original
What Hondo Carpenter said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromTre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, and Malik Benson (a rookie from Oregon) are clearly the top three men.
- Where it was published
- Sports Illustrated
- The piece
- Raiders Training Camp Mailbag: Separating Fact From Fiction
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Corey Rucker to make the roster“But don't bet against Chase Roberts and Corey Rucker, and keep a close eye on EJ Williams”
- 2Jacob Clark to land on the practice squad“While I do like the Missouri State QB and think he will do well developing on the practice squad”
- 3Phillip Dorsett to be cut“When you are a rebuilding team, clearly not in the Super Bowl hunt, you take his spot with a younger receiver like EJ Williams or Corey Rucker”
- 4Jalen Nailor to be 2nd on the depth chart“Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, and Malik Benson (a rookie from Oregon) are clearly the top three men.”
- 5E.J. Williams to make the roster“keep a close eye on EJ Williams; he is Fernando Mendoza's teammate from the Indiana Hoosiers, and I believe both have a legitimate shot at making this team.”
- 6Tre Tucker to be 1st on the depth chart“Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, and Malik Benson (a rookie from Oregon) are clearly the top three men.”
- 7Malik Benson to be 3rd on the depth chart“Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, and Malik Benson (a rookie from Oregon) are clearly the top three men.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corey Rucker to make the roster1 | Roster Spot Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Jacob Clark to land on the practice squad2 | Roster Spot Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Phillip Dorsett to be cut3 | Roster Spot Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Jalen Nailor to be 2nd on the depth chart4 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| E.J. Williams to make the roster5 | Roster Spot Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Tre Tucker to be 1st on the depth chart6 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Malik Benson to be 3rd on the depth chart7 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 7 calls · 7 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
7 checkable claims — 4 roster spot calls and 3 depth chart calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 8 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Of the 3 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 2 and below it on 1.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
Where this call stands in the room
Tre Tucker · 2026 season22 calls from 11 pundits between 1 and 2. Hondo Carpenter said 1. the room's median is 1. not settled yet
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
1Roster Spot CallsCorey RuckerLas Vegas Raiders
Corey Rucker to make the roster
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Roster Spot CallsJacob ClarkLas Vegas Raiders
Jacob Clark to land on the practice squad
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Roster Spot CallsPhillip DorsettLas Vegas Raiders
Phillip Dorsett to be cut
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Depth Chart CallsJalen NailorLas Vegas Raiders
Jalen Nailor to be 2nd on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Roster Spot CallsE.J. WilliamsLas Vegas Raiders
E.J. Williams to make the roster
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
6Depth Chart CallsTre TuckerLas Vegas Raiders
Tre Tucker to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
7Depth Chart CallsMalik BensonLas Vegas Raiders
Malik Benson to be 3rd on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Chris Broussard · Game Outcome Picks · Las Vegas Raiders · Hit 100
Broussard picked the Ravens to beat the Bills in a shootout, 38-34, took the Raiders to upset the Jets, and said Detroit would beat the Vikings.John Breech · Score Predictions · Las Vegas Raiders · Hit 95
Breech's Week 8 score predictions include Bengals over Titans, Raiders over Jets, Rams over Chargers and Patriots over Dolphins.Tyler Sullivan · Game Outcome Picks · Las Vegas Raiders · Hit 100
Sullivan's Week 8 upset alert column flags five favorites they expect to lose: they pick the Falcons over the Buccaneers, the Raiders over the Jets, the undefeated Vikings over the Lions, the Ravens (with Lamar Jackson returning) over the Bills, and the Browns over the Steelers.Ezekiel Trezevant · Game Outcome Picks · Las Vegas Raiders · Hit 100
Trezevant argues that if the Raiders are as improved as they appeared at 3-0, they should beat the Jets in Week 8 on the road and end their four-game losing streak.
More roster spot calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Zack Kelberman · Roster Spot Calls · Sean Fresch Jr. · Miss 0
Kelberman expects Sean Fresch Jr. to clear waivers and return to the Broncos' practice squad, sees Riley Moss back from concussion for the Week 11 game at Las Vegas, and projects newly acquired Daiyan Henley to begin as the third inside linebacker behind Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad before likely moving into a starting role.Zack Kelberman · Roster Spot Calls · Sean Fresch Jr. · Miss 0
Kelberman writes that Riley Moss may sit out the preseason finale against Minnesota but should be available for the Week 1 opener at Kansas City; they also suggest undrafted corners Sean Fresch Jr. and Brent Austin are being evaluated for practice squad spots.Chad Jensen · Roster Spot Calls · Jordan Turner · Miss 0
Jensen predicts Daiyan Henley's arrival will cut into Justin Strnad's snaps while Alex Singleton keeps playing virtually every down, and that Denver will return to a three-linebacker rotation after the Week 10 bye. They also expect one of Jordan Turner or Karene Reid — most likely Turner — to be waived to clear a roster spot.Charean Williams · Roster Spot Calls · Odell Beckham Jr. · Miss 0
Williams writes that after releasing Odell Beckham Jr. to open a roster spot for Kirk Cousins, the Vikings will bring them back on the practice squad.