B-
Las Vegas Raiders
Nothing loud, just a tidy B- for the Raiders.
by ggx1 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 5 steals
· 3 reaches
Call it belief, call it a gut call, but Kyle McCord at slot 106 is 115 spots clear of consensus, and that is the headline.
The Mondon Jr. steal is the beam this whole class leans on. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. Wide receiver was the priority and it is no longer a question, which is most of the job.
The offense got the lion's share of the attention.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 8 they get a long-term starter on the line. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A running back of that caliber at Round 2, Pick 7 is the definition of value, full stop. The roster fit checks out.
They let Dylan Fairchild come to them and pounced at pick No. 69. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jayden Higgins at the 70th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Kyle McCord at the 106th pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It fills a real need, too.
The board fumbled Kevin Winston Jr. all the way to the Round 5 slot, and they scooped it up. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They robbed the room for Nicholas Singleton here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Thor Griffith in Round 6, Pick 37, miles early. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Smael Mondon Jr. in the 216th pick, plain and simple. A minor itch, scratched.
A big swing on Elijhah Badger at pick 223, well ahead of any board in the building. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.