B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders answered their biggest question with Sanders. Grade: B-.
by gg1960 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 4 steals
· 4 reaches
The rest of the league had time to spare on J.J. Weaver; the Raiders did not wait, grabbing him 144 spots ahead at the Round 6 slot.
That is a running back worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. So much rides on Shedeur Sanders that the rest of the class almost grades on a curve behind him. A whole weekend of picks and cornerback is somehow still a want.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the cornerback spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 3 they get the arm they will build around at fair value.
Ozzy Trapilo at pick No. 34 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Circle this one: Omarion Hampton at the 65th pick is a fall that decides a draft. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Somehow Malaki Starks was still sitting there in Round 3, Pick 5, and they pounced on premier safety value. It adds depth where they could use a little.
A big swing on Jayden Higgins at slot 104, well ahead of any board in the building. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Steal is underselling it; Cody Simon at the 140th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
No drama and no debate, Donovan Jackson went about where he belonged in the 177th pick. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
This one needs a full-page explanation: J.J. Weaver in Round 6, Pick 37, miles early. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Tim Smith at the 216th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A need, and now a little less of one.
Ollie Gordon II at slot 219 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. The roster fit checks out.