C
Las Vegas Raiders
Grand theft in slot 143: the Raiders steal Felton and grade out a C.
by [email protected] ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 16 picks
· 6 steals
· 5 reaches
The best pick of the weekend was also the simplest. The Raiders watched Tai Felton slide 45 picks past his grade and did not hesitate. It nets out a thoroughly average C.
Broughton has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
It nets out as a middle-of-the-pack haul that neither helps nor hurts much.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 14 they get an anchor for the offensive line at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In pick No. 16 they get a blindside protector. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
No edge and no loss on Jihaad Campbell in the 37th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Xavier Watts in the 39th overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
TreVeyon Henderson at No. 41 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They read the board right and Azareye'h Thomas was the payoff at pick 67. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Quinshon Judkins in the Round 3 slot. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They robbed the room for Darien Porter here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Jaylin Noel in the Round 4 slot. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A conviction pick on Kyle McCord at Round 4, Pick 6 that the board grades a round light. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Taking Tai Felton in pick No. 143 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They reached a country mile for Vernon Broughton at No. 151, and the board is aghast. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Bhayshul Tuten in slot 180 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It fills a real need, too.
Dont'e Thornton Jr. at pick 213 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A premium they did not need to pay, Jaylin Lane a notch or two before his time. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Isaac TeSlaa in the 222nd pick is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.