D+
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders answered their biggest question with Ward. Grade: D+.
by labibliotecas ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 13 picks
· 9 steals
· 0 reaches
The rest of the league will want that one back. Riley Leonard tumbling to the Raiders in Round 7, Pick 20 is a gift they did not have to think twice about.
The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. Cam Ward gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits.
The tight end spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 16th overall pick they get a passer to set the clock by, and a steal at that. A real need, handled.
Nothing to complain about; Xavier Restrepo went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jordan Hancock in pick No. 29 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Deontae Lawson at the Round 2 slot. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They read the board right and Keon Sabb was the payoff at the 78th pick. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
They did well to land Fernando Carmona in No. 83, just ahead of his grade. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Somehow Dani Dennis-Sutton was still sitting there in Round 3, Pick 36, and they pounced on premier edge rusher value. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Nice patience on Davison Igbinosun, who had no business lasting to pick 124. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A quiet steal in the 158th overall pick: Kyle Monangai for less than the market said. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Tez Johnson at slot 196 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Armand Membou in the 212th overall pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Riley Leonard in pick No. 234 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
You do not let a wide receiver like Germie Bernard reach No. 243 and blink. They did not. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.