B+
Las Vegas Raiders
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Raiders a B+.
by Cuda2183 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 3 steals
· 3 reaches
The Raiders looked at the value chart, folded it up, and took Dont'e Thornton Jr. at No. 144 regardless, 41 picks early. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B+.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. Nelson at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. Spending an early pick on linebacker with edge rusher, quarterback and other spots open is the decision the grade keeps circling back to.
A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
Emeka Egbuka at Round 2, Pick 5 is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Demetrius Knight Jr. in the 68th overall pick lands just on the right side of the ledger. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A clean, defensible pick in the Round 3 slot with a little surplus value in Dylan Sampson. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Denzel Burke in pick 73 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Donovan Jackson in the 88th pick is fair value, right on his grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A want over a need in No. 107: Jay Higgins adds a linebacker while edge rusher, quarterback and other spots keeps waiting.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Smael Mondon Jr. adds a linebacker and leaves edge rusher, quarterback and other spots untouched.
They reached a country mile for Dont'e Thornton Jr. at the 144th pick, and the board is aghast. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Jack Nelson in No. 156 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.