B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders bet the future on Ward. The board says B-.
by kam ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 6 steals
· 1 reaches
The search is over. The Raiders handed the keys to Cam Ward, and the whole operation now runs on his development.
That is a running back worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend.
Every board in the league had Smith lower, and that gap is the story. They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 1 they get a long-term answer under center. A clean fit for the roster.
Tetairoa McMillan at pick No. 7 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Jalon Walker at pick 33 is the proof. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Maxwell Hairston at Round 4, Pick 6 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Cam Skattebo in slot 144 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They barely believed it either: Nick Nash still on the board at the Round 6 slot. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Donovan Smith at the 214th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Upton Stout in the 218th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Craig Woodson slipping to pick 224 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.