D
Las Vegas Raiders
A franchise passer in Sanders headlines a D weekend for the Raiders.
by [email protected] ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 9 steals
· 0 reaches
Somebody took the Raiders to the cleaners. The deals they made bled real value, and the whole class wears it. It grades a D, and the process earned it.
Everything downstream of Shedeur Sanders depends on Shedeur Sanders, and the building knows it. They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. Getting Lambert-Smith where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
It is a steep hill from here, and the grade knows it.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 6th pick they get their quarterback of the future. A clean fit for the roster.
Circle this one: Kenneth Grant at the Round 2 slot is a fall that decides a draft. It fills a real need, too.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and TreVeyon Henderson at the 67th overall pick is the proof. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Marcus Mbow at pick 68 is money in the bank, a offensive lineman taken below his worth. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Nice patience on Dylan Sampson, who had no business lasting to Round 3, Pick 9. The roster fit checks out.
They let Darien Porter come to them and pounced at slot 94. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Savion Williams at pick No. 107. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Oronde Gadsden II at No. 144 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A need, and now a little less of one.
Dont'e Thornton Jr. at pick 182 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, KeAndre Lambert-Smith in the 214th pick, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Roc Taylor in pick No. 218 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They will replay Jordan Hancock at the Round 7 slot for years; that is how good the value is. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.