C+
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders cashed the board's mistake on Paul Jr.: C+.
by Cuda21 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 6 steals
· 2 reaches
The Raiders did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Chris Paul Jr. fell into pick No. 222.
Reaching for Rourke left real value on the table behind him. The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close.
The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
A perfectly average weekend, for better and for worse.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 6 they get a matchup problem out wide. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They will replay Omarion Hampton at pick 39 for years; that is how good the value is. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Kurtis Rourke at the Round 3 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
By-the-book stuff, Darien Porter at the 72nd overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board fumbled Andrew Mukuba all the way to pick No. 106, and they scooped it up. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Demetrius Knight Jr. at the 142nd pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A linebacker of that caliber at Round 6, Pick 3 is the definition of value, full stop. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Kalel Mullings in slot 212 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Thor Griffith this early at Round 6, Pick 41. A need, and now a little less of one.
Chris Paul Jr. in the Round 7 slot is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Stacking talent where they were already deep.