B-
Las Vegas Raiders
Barton should have been long gone. The Raiders pounced, and earned a B-.
by NetRaider ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 5 steals
· 3 reaches
The value of the weekend has a name and a slot: Lander Barton, the 216th pick, roughly 93 picks past where he belonged. Good, not great, and the B- says as much.
Reaching for Howard left real value on the table behind him. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. They went 4 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
The trenches got the money picks, top to bottom.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 6th overall pick they get a run-stuffing presence up front. A clean fit for the roster.
Jalon Walker in the 37th pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A minor itch, scratched.
Will Howard in the Round 3 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They reached into another round for Cam Skattebo, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Luke Kandra at pick 106 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A reach for Jaeden Roberts in slot 142; a little patience would have been rewarded. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Smael Mondon Jr. in pick No. 178, plain and simple. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
They robbed the room for Jordan Hancock here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Circle this one: Lander Barton at Round 6, Pick 41 is a fall that decides a draft. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
The board fumbled Jonah Monheim all the way to the Round 7 slot, and they scooped it up. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.