B+
Las Vegas Raiders
Best value of the weekend goes to the Raiders for Mondon Jr.: B+.
by Kraig ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 9 steals
· 1 reaches
The Raiders did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Smael Mondon Jr. fell into slot 249. Good, not great, and the B+ says as much.
If Shough pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
Walter Nolen slid further than he should have, and the 33rd pick is lovely value for the interior defensive lineman. The roster fit checks out.
Malaki Starks in Round 2, Pick 19 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A minor itch, scratched.
They will replay Omarion Hampton at slot 67 for years; that is how good the value is. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Taking Jihaad Campbell in pick No. 68 is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Deone Walker in pick 73 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It fills a real need, too.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Darien Porter in No. 85. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They talked themselves into Tyler Shough at the Round 4 slot, and the board did not agree. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Kyren Lacy slipping to the 144th overall pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Nick Nash in the 182nd pick, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A linebacker of that caliber at No. 193 is the definition of value, full stop. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Circle this one: Devin Neal at Round 6, Pick 36 is a fall that decides a draft. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Hayden Conner at pick No. 218 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A tidy little value on Cam Horsley in the 224th overall pick, a step better than break-even. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Steal is underselling it; Smael Mondon Jr. at slot 249 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.