A-
Las Vegas Raiders
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Raiders a A-.
by RaiderRich ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 3 reaches
There is conviction, and then there is this. The Raiders took Sai'vion Jones a full 56 picks ahead of where the board had him, an overdraft steep enough that it colors the whole weekend. Very little went wrong, and the A- is earned.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. Emmanwori at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. For all the activity, tight end went untouched, which is hard to explain.
The kind of weekend a front office frames and hangs on the wall.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 17 they get a weapon on the perimeter, and a steal at that. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They read the board right and Nick Emmanwori was the payoff at Round 2, Pick 5. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Omarion Hampton in the Round 2 slot is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Azareye'h Thomas in pick No. 68. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They talked themselves into Sai'vion Jones at the 81st overall pick, and the board did not agree. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A reach for Kyle McCord in slot 108; a little patience would have been rewarded. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A straight-up fair deal on Cody Simon at pick No. 129, value and slot in agreement. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Nice patience on Ajani Cornelius, who had no business lasting to the 180th pick. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A conviction pick on Ricky White III at pick 194 that the board grades a round light. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.