C+
Las Vegas Raiders
Ward is the plan now, and the Raiders grade out a C+.
by Zobster ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 6 picks
· 0 steals
· 5 reaches
If confidence were a draft strategy, the Raiders would have aced it. Tyler Baron at pick 103 is 86 spots clear of where he belonged. Some smart calls, some head-scratchers, and a C+ in the wash.
The whole projection now runs through Cam Ward; hit there and everything else looks smarter. The running back spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
Job largely done: edge rusher settled and 5 of 8 of the wish list covered. The offense got the lion's share of the attention.
If Cam Ward and a couple of the gambles land, hindsight will be kinder than this grade.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 7 they get the arm they will build around, a steep price for the projection. A clean fit for the roster.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Andrew Mukuba. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Tate Ratledge in slot 63. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A real head-scratcher, Tyler Baron in the Round 4 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Azareye'h Thomas at the 167th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Value said wait; Moose Muhammad III in No. 199 says they were not listening. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.