F
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback settled, Ward in the fold, and a F for the Raiders.
by [email protected] ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 20 picks
· 12 steals
· 5 reaches
The rest of the league had time to spare on Jimmy Horn Jr.; the Raiders did not wait, grabbing him 126 spots ahead at the Round 6 slot.
That Bowman Jr. pick is the receipt they will wave around later. The trade table is where this weekend went wrong.
Cam Ward gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits. They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it.
They are betting the present roster is worth a lighter draft next spring.
The verdict is harsh because the weekend was, and there is little to argue.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 6 they get their guy under center for the next decade. A clean fit for the roster.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Emeka Egbuka in the 37th pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They read the board right and Nick Emmanwori was the payoff at the 39th overall pick. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Tyler Booker at No. 41 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, TreVeyon Henderson at pick 68. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
The board had cheaper options than Darien Porter at pick No. 69, and it noticed. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A linebacker of that caliber at pick 72 is the definition of value, full stop. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Tate Ratledge at the 73rd pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Savion Williams this early at pick No. 74. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Steal is underselling it; Dylan Sampson at slot 105 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They let Quinn Ewers come to them and pounced at No. 107. A need, and now a little less of one.
A wild overpay on Dont'e Thornton Jr. in the Round 4 slot, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Oronde Gadsden II at the 113th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Barrett Carter at Round 5, Pick 7 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.
Danny Stutsman at the Round 5 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Quinshon Judkins at pick 149 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It fills a real need, too.
Jimmy Horn Jr. at the 182nd overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A top-tier tight end at a bargain, Terrance Ferguson in the 214th pick, plain and simple. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Billy Bowman Jr. in Round 7, Pick 2 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
They barely believed it either: Willie Lampkin still on the board at slot 224. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.