D-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders lost the trade table, and the D- tells the story.
by [email protected] ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 4 steals
· 5 reaches
The Raiders spent real capital to be 128 picks early on Jimmy Horn Jr., and the board is going to hold them to it. Hard to defend, and the D- reflects that.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. Leaving edge rusher unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall. They banked enough surplus on Smith to cover a lot of smaller sins.
It is a win-now wager, and the future is the stake.
In the end, a class the front office will want to grow past quickly.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 12th overall pick they get a go-to option on the outside. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Tyler Booker at the 33rd pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Aireontae Ersery at pick 37 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Omarion Hampton at Round 2, Pick 12 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A need, and now a little less of one.
TreVeyon Henderson is a better player than the Round 3 slot suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Darien Porter at pick No. 68 is a conviction pick that outran the value. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A straight-up fair deal on Jayden Higgins at the 73rd overall pick, value and slot in agreement. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Savion Williams at the 103rd pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A big swing on Oronde Gadsden II at pick 107, well ahead of any board in the building. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Brashard Smith at slot 144 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They paid sticker price for Dont'e Thornton Jr. in the Round 6 slot, and that is fine. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board had Luke Lachey higher than pick No. 214, and the tight end fell to them anyway. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Kitan Crawford at No. 218 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Jimmy Horn Jr.. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.