B+
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders let Lambert-Smith fall into their laps, and walked away with a B+.
by [email protected] ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 9 steals
· 2 reaches
Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Raiders were there to profit. KeAndre Lambert-Smith, the No. 188 name on the board, should have been long gone before slot 237. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B+.
Martin has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. They will regret leaving edge rusher for another day if the season turns on it. They squeezed a little extra out of every move they made.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 12 they get an every-down engine for the run game, and a steal at that.
A slide stopped in Round 2, Pick 5, with Emeka Egbuka worth more than the price. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A market-rate running back, with the board and the slot shaking hands on TreVeyon Henderson. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Darien Porter in the Round 3 slot is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
The board had Jayden Higgins higher than pick No. 84, and the wide receiver fell to them anyway. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Kevin Winston Jr. slipping to pick 107 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
They will replay Jordan Phillips at the 144th overall pick for years; that is how good the value is. A need, and now a little less of one.
A running back of that caliber at No. 182 is the definition of value, full stop. It fills a real need, too.
Circle this one: Jaylen Reed at slot 214 is a fall that decides a draft. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
A big swing on Nick Martin at the Round 6 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. It adds depth where they could use a little.
The board fumbled Jordan Hancock all the way to Round 7, Pick 6, and they scooped it up. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith in pick No. 237 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.