D
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders bled value on every deal, hence the D.
by [email protected] ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 16 picks
· 4 steals
· 5 reaches
The Raiders spent real capital to be 74 picks early on Dayon Hayes, and the board is going to hold them to it. It grades a D, and the process earned it.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. The Smith value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere.
The bill for those future picks comes due whether the class hits or not. The Raiders clearly valued win-now help, adding bodies who have done it before.
Bottom line, they will be counting on several picks to beat their grades.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a load in the middle. A clean fit for the roster.
In pick No. 30 they get a go-to option on the outside at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Jihaad Campbell in pick 37 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It adds depth where they could use a little.
A reach on Aireontae Ersery in No. 39; the board had better options right there. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They took Tyler Booker at par in the 41st overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Somehow Omarion Hampton was still sitting there in Round 2, Pick 26, and they pounced on premier running back value. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
TreVeyon Henderson at the 68th pick is money in the bank, a running back taken below his worth. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
By-the-book stuff, Darien Porter at the 73rd overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Fair-plus on Kevin Winston Jr., a quiet win that adds up over a draft. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
No edge and no loss on Will Howard in slot 108; it is a wash and a sensible one. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Oronde Gadsden II well ahead of where he belonged. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A running back of that caliber at pick 144 is the definition of value, full stop. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A quiet steal in No. 182: Dont'e Thornton Jr. for less than the market said. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Nick Martin at pick No. 208 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
They went early on Kitan Crawford in slot 214, and the value did not follow. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Dayon Hayes at Round 6, Pick 40 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.