B
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders let Howard fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by MikeD1 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 7 steals
· 0 reaches
The board owed the Raiders one, and it paid up: Will Howard, the No. 102 name on the board, sitting there at the 143rd overall pick like a gift left on the doorstep. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B.
For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain. Job largely done: cornerback settled and 6 of 8 of the wish list covered. They came away with juice, if not much beef up front.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 6th pick they get a workhorse for the backfield. A real need, handled.
They barely believed it either: Jahdae Barron still on the board at No. 37. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Tre Harris at the 68th overall pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
The board fumbled Darien Porter all the way to pick No. 108, and they scooped it up. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A quarterback of that caliber at pick 143 is the definition of value, full stop. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A tidy little value on Jack Nelson in slot 180, a step better than break-even. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Jay Higgins is a better player than the Round 6 slot suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Somehow KeAndre Lambert-Smith was still sitting there in Round 6, Pick 39, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Taking JJ Pegues in the Round 7 slot is close to grand larceny; an interior defensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.