Brandon Cleveland Signs Rookie Deal with Raiders

NC State defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland has officially signed his rookie contract with the Las Vegas Raiders after being selected in the 7th round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Las Vegas Raiders (@raiders)

Cleveland, who was taken with the No. 229 overall pick, signed a 4-year deal worth $4.54 million, which includes a $161,000 signing bonus.

According to Sportico, rookie signing bonuses were expected to increase by 16% this year. That projection held true, as Over The Cap’s estimated slot value for the No. 229 pick landed exactly at $4.54 million, while Spotrac projected a slightly lower figure of $4.39 million.

On the field, Cleveland capped off a strong senior season with 36 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks, providing steady production along the defensive interior.

At 6’4” and 315 pounds, Cleveland possesses the prototypical size for an NFL defensive tackle. Over the course of his career at NC State, he added 25 pounds and developed into a physical and reliable presence in the trenches. His 72.1 PFF grade this past season reflected that consistency and growth.

Coming out of high school, Cleveland was a highly regarded recruit. ESPN and Rivals both rated him as a 4-star prospect in the 2022 class, with ESPN ranking him as the No. 26 defensive tackle nationally and the No. 40 overall player in Florida.

Cleveland will now join former Wolfpack punter AJ Cole in Las Vegas. He’ll also be joined by his NC State teammate Cian Slone, who signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Raiders following the draft.