C-
Las Vegas Raiders
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Raiders and Paul Jr.: C-.
by Cuda21 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 8 steals
· 0 reaches
When a board-topper like Chris Paul Jr. slides to the 222nd overall pick, you do not overthink it, and the Raiders did not. For now it grades a C-, with the swing picks left to settle the rest.
The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own.
Call it incomplete, and check back in a couple of seasons.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 25 they get a matchup problem out wide at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
Kenneth Grant at the 37th overall pick is money in the bank, a interior defensive lineman taken below his worth. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Zy Alexander in pick No. 68. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Jayden Higgins in Round 3, Pick 9 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Xavier Watts at the 89th pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
TreVeyon Henderson in No. 106 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They will replay Demetrius Knight Jr. at pick 142 for years; that is how good the value is. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
The board fumbled Jay Higgins all the way to the Round 6 slot, and they scooped it up. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Seth McLaughlin in pick 212 is fair value, right on his grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A running back of that caliber at No. 216 is the definition of value, full stop. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Chris Paul Jr. in slot 222 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.