B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders bet the future on Ward. The board says B-.
by GirlsAreRaiders ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 4 steals
· 3 reaches
The one hole that towered over the rest is filled. The Raiders spent their marquee pick on Cam Ward, and for the first time in a while there is a real answer at quarterback. No fireworks, but a solid B-.
Landing Mukuba that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. Reaching for Webb left real value on the table behind him.
Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. Job largely done: cornerback settled and 5 of 8 of the wish list covered.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get the arm they will build around. A clean fit for the roster.
A quiet steal in the 37th pick: Nick Emmanwori for less than the market said. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Azareye'h Thomas at No. 68 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They took Jordan Phillips at par in Round 4, Pick 6, which is nothing to complain about. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Andrew Mukuba at pick No. 144 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
A tidy bit of business in pick 182, where Dont'e Thornton Jr. graded well above the range. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Clay Webb well ahead of where he belonged. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A reach for Isaac TeSlaa in slot 218; a little patience would have been rewarded. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A wild overpay on Donovan Smith in the 224th overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.