B
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders cashed the board's mistake on Bowman Jr.: B.
by Willyboys ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 5 steals
· 1 reaches
You build a draft on nights like this. Billy Bowman Jr. had no business being available in the 143rd pick, and the Raiders did the only sane thing and turned in the card.
That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. Every board in the league had Monangai lower, and that gap is the story.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 6 they get a difference-maker at receiver. The biggest hole, addressed.
Colston Loveland at slot 37 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Azareye'h Thomas in the 68th pick. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A tidy bit of business in No. 108, where Quinn Ewers graded well above the range. The roster fit checks out.
Billy Bowman Jr. at pick 143 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Kyle Monangai in pick No. 180 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Hayden Conner in the Round 6 slot is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jamon Dumas-Johnson. It adds depth where they could use a little.
A quiet steal in Round 7, Pick 6: CJ West for less than the market said. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.