The wide receiver finished as Oregon’s leading pass catcher in 2025 after stepping up for the Ducks
Malik Benson did not arrive at Oregon as the centerpiece of the passing offense. He was expected to be a deep threat, a complementary piece in a system built around other people. What happened by the end of the season changed that picture entirely, and on Saturday the Las Vegas Raiders made him a sixth-round pick with the 195th overall selection.
The pick came from a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which the Raiders sent their No. 185 selection and received Nos. 195 and 229 in return. Las Vegas used the first of those picks on Benson.
Benson’s path to the draft ran through four programs
Before he ever lined up for the Ducks, Benson played his first college ball in his home state of Kansas at Hutchinson Community College. Over two seasons there, he set school records with 2,152 receiving yards and ranked second in program history with 21 receiving touchdowns. Those numbers made him the top-ranked junior college prospect in the country.
He then transferred to Alabama for the 2023 season and Florida State in 2024, combining for 473 yards on 38 receptions across those two stops. Neither program fully unlocked what he was capable of. He arrived in Eugene for his graduate transfer season with a reputation as a vertical threat and a question mark about everything else.
How Benson became Oregon’s leading receiver
Through the first two months of the 2025 season, Benson’s role remained limited. Then Oregon’s top receiver, true freshman Dakorien Moore, went down with a knee injury before the Iowa game. Benson stepped in and made a clutch catch on the game-winning drive late in regulation. He followed that with his first career 100-yard game in the regular-season finale, then repeated the performance in the College Football Playoff first round.
By the time the season ended, Benson had finished as Oregon’s leader in receiving yards with 716, second on the team in receptions with 43, and second in touchdown catches with six. All three figures were career bests. He went from a role player to the most productive pass catcher on a program that had spent the season competing at the highest level of college football.
What Benson brings to the Raiders
At the NFL Combine, Benson clocked a 4.37 in the 40-yard dash, ranking in the top 10 among receivers who participated. At 6 feet and 189 pounds, he is on the leaner side, and analysts have noted he will need to add muscle and continue developing his route running to carve out consistent playing time at the next level.
What is not in question is his value as a returner. At Oregon, he averaged nearly 18 yards per punt return and took one back 85 yards for a touchdown against USC. Special teams contributions will likely define his early role in Las Vegas, with the receiving piece developing alongside.
What this pick means for the Raiders
Las Vegas enters the post-draft period in an active rebuilding phase. The Benson selection fits that pattern. He is a player with traits worth developing, a track record of stepping up in high-stakes moments, and the athleticism to contribute immediately on special teams while the receiving side of his game catches up.
He joins a Raiders receiver room that is still taking shape, giving the team a low-cost option with legitimate upside on the outside. Whether that upside materializes will depend on how quickly his route running develops and whether he can hold his own in a professional training camp environment.
Benson’s path to this moment covered two community college seasons, three Division I programs, and one breakout year that convinced a franchise to spend a sixth-round pick on the possibility of what he could still become. That is a longer road than most players at his position travel, and he now has an NFL roster spot to show for it.