B
Las Vegas Raiders
Grand theft in the 167th pick: the Raiders steal Smith and grade out a B.
by fvhhh ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 6 steals
· 1 reaches
Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Raiders were there to profit. Donovan Smith, the No. 117 name on the board, should have been long gone before the 167th overall pick.
That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. The cost of the Egbuka reach is exactly the players who went right after him.
They went 4 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
Good work on the whole, with edge rusher the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 7 they get a No. 1 receiver, though they paid up to get him. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Denzel Burke in pick 39 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A quiet steal in pick No. 71: Danny Stutsman for less than the market said. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Anthony Belton at slot 103 is the proof. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They robbed the room for Jaxson Dart here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Taking Donovan Smith in the 167th overall pick is close to grand larceny; a quarterback that good had no business lasting this long. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Theo Wease Jr. at the 199th pick is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.