B
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders robbed the room for Mullings. Final grade: B.
by RaiderRich ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 5 steals
· 4 reaches
Somewhere a general manager is explaining how Kalel Mullings got past him. The Raiders do not have to explain a thing at pick No. 222. A dependable weekend that grades out a B.
The cost of the Smith reach is exactly the players who went right after him. For all the activity, cornerback went untouched, which is hard to explain. Small wins on the phones, but wins all the same.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 6 they get a run-stuffing presence up front. A clean fit for the roster.
They paid up for JT Tuimoloau at the 41st pick when waiting would have done the job. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A running back of that caliber at pick No. 68 is the definition of value, full stop. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jayden Higgins. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Jaxson Dart in Round 4, Pick 6 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Kevin Winston Jr. at the Round 5 slot is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Joshua Gray at the 179th overall pick. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Nick Nash in pick 216, miles early. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Taking Kalel Mullings in No. 222 is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Tim Smith at Round 7, Pick 17 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Circle this one: Jaishawn Barham at slot 244 is a fall that decides a draft. A minor need, but a need all the same.