B-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders let Higgins fall into their laps, and walked away with a B-.
by Cuda2183 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 9 steals
· 2 reaches
This is the pick they will still be bragging about in July: Jay Higgins, the No. 119 name on the board, stolen at No. 216. No fireworks, but a solid B-.
The cost of the Rourke reach is exactly the players who went right after him. The trades bled value they could not afford to lose.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through tight end. The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
They robbed the room for Abdul Carter here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Taking Ashton Jeanty in No. 37 is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Benjamin Morrison at the 58th overall pick is the proof. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
No edge and no loss on Alfred Collins in the 62nd pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Xavier Watts at slot 68 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A minor itch, scratched.
Kurtis Rourke in pick 73 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A need, and now a little less of one.
Demetrius Knight Jr. in pick No. 106 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Dont'e Thornton Jr. at the Round 5 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Cam Skattebo in pick 178 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Seth McLaughlin in No. 212. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They barely believed it either: Jay Higgins still on the board at pick No. 216. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Samuel Brown in the 222nd pick, plain and simple. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.