F
Las Vegas Raiders
Ward is the Raiders' new face under center. Grade: F.
by SkiMask ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
The Raiders looked at the value chart, folded it up, and took Donovan Jackson at No. 37 regardless, 49 picks early. A F, plain and simple.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. Cam Ward gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits.
Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. If one pick saves this weekend, it is Bryant.
It is a win-now wager, and the future is the stake.
About as rough as a weekend gets on paper, with edge rusher still staring back at them.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 1st pick they get the face of the franchise. A real need, handled.
In the 6th overall pick they get a featured back at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
They talked themselves into Donovan Jackson at the Round 2 slot, and the board did not agree. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Isaiah Bond in slot 73, plain and simple. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
O'Donnell Fortune at pick 107 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A tidy bit of business in pick No. 144, where Emery Jones Jr. graded well above the range. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Steal is underselling it; Cobee Bryant at No. 224 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.