B-
Las Vegas Raiders
Good, not great, for the Raiders: B-.
by NetRaider ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 5 steals
· 3 reaches
The Raiders put a flag in the ground for Will Howard, 168 picks before anyone else would have, and the value took the hit. The bottom line is a respectable B-.
They banked enough surplus on Barton to cover a lot of smaller sins. For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a sticky cover corner. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Tate Ratledge is a better player than Round 2, Pick 7 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jalon Walker in No. 69 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Will Howard in pick No. 70 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It fills a real need, too.
A big swing on Cam Skattebo at slot 106, well ahead of any board in the building. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Steal is underselling it; Kevin Winston Jr. at the 146th pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A straight-up fair deal on Nazir Stackhouse at the Round 6 slot, value and slot in agreement. The roster fit checks out.
They left a pile of value on the table to take PJ Williams this early at No. 212. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Lander Barton at Round 6, Pick 41 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Somehow Seth McLaughlin was still sitting there in the 223rd pick, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.