B+
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders robbed the room for Lampkin. Final grade: B+.
by [email protected] ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 15 picks
· 11 steals
· 1 reaches
Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Raiders were there to profit. Willie Lampkin, the No. 175 name on the board, should have been long gone before the 215th overall pick. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B+.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. With edge rusher and tight end unsolved, spending premium capital on linebacker is the choice that costs them.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped edge rusher, which is a strange place to end up.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
Nice patience on Jahdae Barron, who had no business lasting to pick 23. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A wide receiver of that caliber at the Round 2 slot is the definition of value, full stop. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A slide stopped in No. 39, with Jalon Walker worth more than the price. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Benjamin Morrison in the 41st overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Value with a capital V on Xavier Watts in pick No. 54, a genuine coup. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They bypassed pressing needs at edge rusher and tight end to take Demetrius Knight Jr., a linebacker that was not the priority.
A quiet steal in slot 68: TreVeyon Henderson for less than the market said. A need, and now a little less of one.
Jalen Milroe at Round 3, Pick 23 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A top-tier running back at a bargain, Cam Skattebo in pick 120, plain and simple. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Taking Anthony Belton in slot 141 is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Jordan Phillips in the Round 5 slot should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. The roster fit checks out.
They will replay Bhayshul Tuten at Round 6, Pick 4 for years; that is how good the value is. It fills a real need, too.
Dont'e Thornton Jr. in the 213th overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Willie Lampkin at pick No. 215 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A reach for Isaac TeSlaa in the 222nd pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.