C
Las Vegas Raiders
Dart is the Raiders' new face under center. Grade: C.
by Cashydemon ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 6 reaches
The Raiders put a flag in the ground for Henry Parrish Jr., 154 picks before anyone else would have, and the value took the hit. For now it grades a C, with the swing picks left to settle the rest.
Jaxson Dart gives the offense a face and a plan, and the grade leans heavily on whether he hits. Cornelius falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped interior defensive lineman, which is a strange place to end up.
In the end, one you will need a couple of seasons to truly judge.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get their guy under center for the next decade, a steep price for the projection.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Antwane Wells Jr. in No. 37, miles early. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They reached a country mile for Kaimon Rucker at pick No. 68, and the board is aghast. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They talked themselves into Tommi Hill at the 73rd pick, and the board did not agree. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A real head-scratcher, Henry Parrish Jr. in slot 107 is miles ahead of his ranking. A need, and now a little less of one.
They barely believed it either: Tory Horton still on the board at the 144th overall pick. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
No edge and no loss on Karene Reid in No. 182; it is a wash and a sensible one. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Somehow Upton Stout was still sitting there in pick 214, and they pounced on premier safety value. A minor itch, scratched.
They jumped the gun on Brant Kuithe, taking him earlier than his grade liked. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Ajani Cornelius at slot 224 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.