B+
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders answered their biggest question with Sanders. Grade: B+.
by Teddybear1980 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 11 steals
· 0 reaches
This is the pick they will still be bragging about in July: Josaiah Stewart, the No. 23 name on the board, stolen at the 212th pick.
The whole projection now runs through Shedeur Sanders; hit there and everything else looks smarter. They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast.
A whole weekend of picks and tight end is somehow still a want.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the tight end spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get the face of the franchise. A real need, handled.
A running back of that caliber at No. 24 is the definition of value, full stop. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Circle this one: Abdul Carter at the 40th pick is a fall that decides a draft. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Taking Wyatt Milum in Round 3, Pick 32 is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
You do not let a quarterback like Cam Ward reach the 103rd overall pick and blink. They did not. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Jahdae Barron in the Round 5 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Walter Nolen in pick No. 143 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It fills a real need, too.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Xavier Restrepo in No. 179, plain and simple. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Steal is underselling it; Tre Harris at slot 184 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Josaiah Stewart at pick 212 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Somehow Smael Mondon Jr. was still sitting there in pick No. 216, and they pounced on premier linebacker value. A minor need, but a need all the same.
The board fumbled Dylan Fairchild all the way to Round 7, Pick 4, and they scooped it up. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.