B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders answered their biggest question with Ward. Grade: B-.
by Italia1970 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 4 steals
· 2 reaches
Somebody in No. 214 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Raiders sat still while Tyler Shough, the No. 137 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium. No fireworks, but a solid B-.
Everything downstream of Cam Ward depends on Cam Ward, and the building knows it. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. If Frazier pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a long-term answer under center. A real need, handled.
Derrick Harmon in the 37th pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Xavier Restrepo at Round 3, Pick 4 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the wide receiver. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid a round early for O'Donnell Fortune in slot 107, more than the board wanted. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Somehow Brashard Smith was still sitting there in the 144th pick, and they pounced on premier running back value. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Jake Briningstool at the 182nd overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. The roster fit checks out.
Tyler Shough at pick 214 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R.J. Mickens slipping to pick No. 218 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A minor itch, scratched.
A reach for Miles Frazier in No. 224; a little patience would have been rewarded. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.