A
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders bet the future on Dart. The board says A.
by raiderfan1960 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 27 picks
· 24 steals
· 1 reaches
This is the pick they will still be bragging about in July: Trey Amos, the No. 50 name on the board, stolen at the 239th pick.
So much rides on Jaxson Dart that the rest of the class almost grades on a curve behind him. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own.
The cost of the Dart reach is exactly the players who went right after him. The Raiders indulged a want in Campbell while a need in tight end stayed open.
The tight end hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
A strong weekend's work, and a rare one to find this little fault with.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 23 they get a passer to set the clock by, though the board says they badly overpaid.
In pick 27 they get a three-down runner, outstanding value to boot. A real need, handled.
They read the board right and Shavon Revel Jr. was the payoff at pick No. 37. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Circle this one: Kaleb Johnson at slot 68 is a fall that decides a draft. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Taking Grey Zabel in pick 70 is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Somehow Wyatt Milum was still sitting there in the 88th overall pick, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A top-tier interior defensive lineman at a bargain, Walter Nolen in No. 91, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Steal is underselling it; Tre Harris at Round 3, Pick 33 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
By-the-book stuff, Cam Skattebo at the Round 4 slot squarely in line with his ranking. The roster fit checks out.
They will replay Xavier Restrepo at the 123rd pick for years; that is how good the value is. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jalen Royals in the 125th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A tidy little value on Jeffrey Bassa in the 136th overall pick, a step better than break-even. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went linebacker with Jihaad Campbell while clear needs at tight end sat open.
Jordan Burch in pick No. 143 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Omarr Norman-Lott at Round 5, Pick 5 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
You do not let an offensive lineman like Armand Membou reach No. 180 and blink. They did not. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Aireontae Ersery at slot 184 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Marcus Mbow in pick 200 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board fumbled Will Howard all the way to pick No. 205, and they scooped it up. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A running back of that caliber at Round 6, Pick 36 is the definition of value, full stop. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They robbed the room for Alfred Collins here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
T.J. Sanders at the 223rd overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A need, and now a little less of one.
They barely believed it either: Sebastian Castro still on the board at the 233rd pick. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
They barely believed it either: Trey Amos still on the board at pick 239. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Dylan Fairchild in the Round 7 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
You do not let a linebacker like Lander Barton reach No. 252 and blink. They did not. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Taking Ajani Cornelius in the 254th pick is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.